Joe Kelly (Nebraska)
2023 - Present
2027
1
Joe Kelly (Republican Party) is the Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. He assumed office on January 5, 2023. His current term ends on January 7, 2027.
Kelly (Republican Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Kelly was elected lieutenant governor on November 8, 2022, defeating Al Davis (D) and Jason Blumenthal (L) with 59.2% of the vote. He ran on the same ticket as Jim Pillen (R).[1] In Nebraska, the lieutenant governor presides over the legislature, is the governor's successor in case of a vacancy, and serves as acting governor when the governor is out of state.
Kelly was born in 1956 in Lexington, Nebraska. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Nebraska in 1978 and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1981. Kelly served in the Nebraska Army National Guard from 1979 to 1986.[2]
Kelly's work experience included serving as a criminal prosecutor and county attorney in the Lancaster County Attorney's Office; working as an associate with Berniger, Berg, and Diver in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and serving as the chief of the Criminal Bureau in the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. In 2018, former President Donald Trump (R) appointed him as the United States Attorney for Nebraska. He served in that role until 2021.[3]
During the gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election in 2022, Kelly said he would serve the lieutenant governor office like a prosecutor: "Take the facts as they are, don’t embellish and up-persuade from the point."[4] He also said that he and Pillen "share a passion for recruiting and retaining young people and graduates of traditional colleges, community colleges and trade schools who will raise their families here."[4]
Following 2023, the Pillen-Kelly administration said it had improved infrastructure, education, and public safety, and had worked to reduce government spending and property taxes. It outlined additional priorities, including, improvements in higher education and broadband technology as well as preventing China, Iran, and North Korea from doing business or buying land in Nebraska.[5]
Biography
Joe Kelly earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1978 and a law degree from the University of Nebraska in 1981. Kelly's career experience includes working as the chief deputy county attorney of Lancaster County, Nebraska.[6]
Elections
2022
See also: Nebraska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
Joe Kelly defeated Al Davis and Jason Blumenthal in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Kelly (R) | 59.2 | 398,334 |
 | Al Davis (D) | 36.0 | 242,006 | |
 | Jason Blumenthal (L) | 3.9 | 26,455 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 5,798 | ||
| Total votes: 672,593 | |||
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Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joe Kelly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
| Nebraska | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ KETV 7, "Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen announces running mate," April 5, 2022
- ↑ Nebraska State Government, "State Executive Branch," accessed October 24, 2024 (page 416)
- ↑ Lt. Governor Joe Kelly: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, "About Lt. Governor Joe Kelly," accessed October 24, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nebraska Examiner, "Pillen taps longtime prosecutor Joe Kelly as running mate," April 5, 2022
- ↑ Norfolk Daily News, "Pillen celebrates accomplishments while outlining priorities," January 20, 2024
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Joe Kelly," accessed December 1, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Foley (R) |
Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Lancaster County Attorney 2011-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
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