Omaha decides between electing its first Black mayor or reelecting its first female one
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Voters in Omaha will make history Tuesday by either reelecting the city's first female mayor to a rare fourth term or electing the community's first Black mayor.
The race between Mayor Jean Stothert and challenger John Ewing has primarily revolved around local issues like street repairs and garbage service, but in the final stretch the campaign touched on more national, hot-button issues such as President Donald Trump's administration and transgender rights.
The winner will lead Nebraska's largest city, which makes up nearly a quarter of the state's population.
In campaigning for a fourth term, Stothert has portrayed Omaha as a city on a hot streak with a revitalized riverfront, plans moving ahead on a streetcar line and progress repairing city streets.
'I have plans and can talk about them, and they are working,' Stothert told the Omaha World-Herald.
If reelected, she would have the longest tenure as mayor in more than a century.
Ewing, the county treasurer, said the mayor hasn't focused enough attention on core issues like filling potholes, hiring more police officers and building more affordable housing.
'People just feel like she's had her time, and it's time for somebody new,' Ewing said.
Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, the candidates have made it clear to voters that Stothert is a Republican and Ewing is a Democrat. Omaha is among the few spots in conservative Nebraska where Democrats have a reasonable chance of winning elected offices.
Despite a focus on bread-and-butter issues like city services, the candidates have issued more partisan messages as the election neared.
A Stothert TV ad says, 'Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls' sports.'
Ewing responded that he hasn't dealt with such transgender issues as treasurer and told KETV he wouldn't respond to hypothetical questions.
Ewing has aired ads that connect Stothert to the Trump administration, showing the mayor on a split screen with Trump and saying 'Let's say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done.'
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In nearby Pasadena, a small gathering began Sunday afternoon after federal officers were spotted at a local hotel, a city spokesperson confirmed. Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo said in a statement that no enforcement activity was confirmed. "We understand the anxiety and fear that these reports can create for many in our community," he said. "I urge our community to remain calm, united, and peaceful, and not be baited or provoked into violence. The right to peacefully assemble and express ourselves is a fundamental part of who we are—not just as Pasadenans, but as Americans." How this all started The new military presence in L.A. comes after three days of clashes between protesters and law enforcement, following a large-scale I.C.E. operation in the city Friday. On Friday evening, multiple immigration operations were conducted across L.A., primarily in the Westlake District, downtown and South L.A., ICE officials confirmed. 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A federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the operations tells CBS News that ICE requested assistance from LAPD multiple times over the course of Friday night. That same official said it took local authorities more than two hours to honor that request, although a senior city official in L.A. told CBS News that it took LAPD 55 minutes to respond, not two hours. A car burns during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. Eric Thayer / AP On Saturday, protests centered in on the city of Paramount after ICE and other federal law enforcement officers were spotted. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that there was no ICE "raid" on Saturday in Paramount, but instead the agents were staging at an office. The protests in Paramount eventually spilled over into Compton, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered around a car that was set on fire in the middle of the intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, near Dale's Donuts, Images captured at the scene by CBS News Los Angeles showed law enforcement deploying what appeared to be tear gas to disperse crowds and shooting non-lethal munitions at some protesters. Going forward U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán, who represents parts of L.A.'s South Bay, tells CBS News that ICE enforcement and removal operations are expected daily for the next 30 days in LA County. A federal law enforcement official tells CBS News that deputies with LA County Sheriff's Office are now assisting ICE officials with perimeter protection, although they will not be assisting with any immigration enforcement efforts. , and contributed to this report.
