How clean energy advocates could take over a major Nebraska utility
Renewable energy advocates have the chance to win a majority on the governing board of one of Nebraska’s largest utility companies after a pair of liberal candidates advanced out of Tuesday’s primaries to the November general election.
One winner was former state Sen. Carol Blood, who was the Democrats’ nominee for governor in 2022 and also ran for Congress in the conservative 1st District last cycle. The other was education professor Mark Gudgel, who waged an unsuccessful bid for Omaha mayor in 2021.
The two are vying for spots on the board of directors of the Omaha Public Power District, a publicly owned utility that serves more than 900,000 people across a 13-county region in eastern Nebraska, including the city of Omaha.
A third clean-energy candidate, attorney and school administrator Sara Kohen, did not face a primary and will also be on the fall ballot. Kohen narrowly lost a bid for the Omaha City Council in 2021.
https://www.the-downballot.com/p/morning-digest-how-clean-energy-advocates