On Tuesday evening, Mayor Jean Stothert made a rare appearance at the monthly meeting of the Douglas County Republican Party (DCRP), where she asked for and received the party’s endorsement. Such a gesture may seem so remarkably ordinary that it would not be worth mentioning. In reality, it was a small first step in healing a years-long rift between the establishment GOP and the grassroots of a fractured Republican Party.
The Roots of Division
Since the days of the Tea Party movement in 2009, conservative Republicans have organized with the intention of replacing “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs) with more authentically conservative candidates. This movement brought candidates like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee into office, and more recently a similar effort replaced Congresswoman Liz Cheney in Wyoming with Harriet Hageman.
While the Tea Party made waves in the national GOP, Nebraska’s grassroots have struggled to replicate the strategy in the Cornhusker State. They were able to take over the Republican Party at the state and county levels in Nebraska, but they have come up short in replacing moderate incumbents with their own candidates.
Electoral success in Omaha is a balancing act for Republicans in an increasingly “blue” metro area, working to appeal to moderates without alienating hardline conservatives. As a former Democrat with strong union ties and endorsements that crossed party lines, Mike McDonnell hoped to unseat incumbent Jean Stothert. Some of Stothert’s left-leaning stances—such as signing a Heartland Pride proclamation in 2019 and approving a deal on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in 2022—were also seen as signs of being inauthentic. This made her a target for a primary challenge from the right.
Throughout the primary, McDonnell made a concerted effort to reach out to the grassroots in the DCRP, attending meetings in January, February, and March in hopes of an endorsement, even going so far as to sponsor the party’s bowling fundraiser. He eventually received an endorsement in March, one week before the primary election, but it was not enough to pull him across the finish line.
Reconnecting with the Grassroots
In contrast, the establishment GOP has kept its distance from county parties, even going so far as to boycott the DCRP Fourth of July pancake breakfast last year. Stothert appeared to be following suit, having not appeared at any of the party’s first three meetings this year, instead sending surrogates who distributed palm cards and spoke on her behalf.
On Tuesday this week, that changed. Stothert came to the DCRP and asked for an endorsement in person, which she received unanimously from the body that one month ago had endorsed her opponent. McDonnell was also in attendance, thanking the party for their support and staying to listen to Stothert’s speech.
Stephen Bader, who worked on the McDonnell campaign, seconded the motion to endorse Stothert. In his endorsement speech, Bader said that Stothert’s appearance showed a great deal of humility.
“I always respect humility, because it’s very rare in politics. And it’s a virtue,” Bader said. “This is going to be a very tough race. Every vote is going to count. Some people thought Mike’s showing was disappointing, lower than expected. Apparently, some people thought it was higher than expected. The point is, those votes, especially those in here, should go toward Mayor Stothert.”
Discontent with the discontent
Many in the Omaha grassroots are still unhappy with their choice of candidates for mayor. Others, however, are growing tired of the party infighting.
A recent survey of District 2 Republicans in the party’s State Central Committee cited inter-party conflict as one of the top issues holding the party back. Comments included, “Stop attacking other Republicans,” “Stop fighting and arguing,” “Repair the relationships with the delegation,” “Heal the divide in Douglas County which is causing some to become independents or Democrats,” and “Unify!”
After winning the primary with only a plurality of 36.2%, Stothert understands the need to gain the support of McDonnell’s supporters in order to win. Conservatives who would have preferred a Mayor Mike McDonnell should understand that the election is now a binary choice. Despite leaning left on a few social issues, Stothert has displayed strong conservative stances on issues like voter ID, taxes, and supporting law enforcement in the wake of the George Floyd riots.
At the Pachyderm Luncheon last week, Omaha city councilman Brinker Harding made a similar plea for unity in the party.
“It’s hard sometimes to lick those wounds, because they run deep if your candidate didn’t get across the finish line,” Harding said, “But that was the primary. … The next two go to the finals. And if your candidate didn’t get through, you have an option with Mayor Stothert. If you were supportive, as a Republican, of Mike McDonnell, then you need to get behind Mayor Stothert.”
With Stothert reaching out to the local grassroots, the years-long divide in the party may finally show signs of healing. With only a few weeks until the general election, however, the grassroots will have to set their differences aside and organize quickly or risk handing control of the city to the Democrats—with potentially disastrous downstream effects in the 2026 midterms.
