Gaylor Baird, though, worked to portray her Republican opponent as too extreme to lead Lincoln, which is one of the few blue bastions in the Cornhusker State. The two clashed over abortion rights in a campaign that took place days after Republicans in the unicameral state legislature fell one vote short of overcoming a Democratic-led filibuster on a bill that would have outlawed the procedure after only about six weeks. The incumbent emphasized her support for reproductive rights, while Geist responded at a debate focused on the concerns of African American residents by telling the audience, “Twenty million of you have been aborted. Is that positive for your community? No, it’s not.”
Gaylor Baird’s re-election Tuesday in the state’s second-largest city, which is home to the second-tallest capitol building in America and the University of Nebraska, extends a local Democratic victory streak that began in 1999. The mayor’s victory, which came as her party maintained its 6-1 majority on the City Council, also ensures that Lincoln will remain one of the few parts of Nebraska where Democrats are in charge: The GOP has controlled the governorship since 1999, while Republican Jean Stothert in 2013 flipped the mayor’s office in Omaha.
