Dave Heineman

Dave Heineman
39th Governor of Nebraska
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2005
Lieutenant	Rick Sheehy
Preceded by	Mike Johanns
37th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
In office October 1, 2001 – January 20, 2005
Governor	Mike Johanns
Preceded by	David Maurstad
Succeeded by	Rick Sheehy
Personal details
Born	David Eugene Heineman May 12, 1948 (1948-05-12) Falls City, Nebraska
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sally Ganem
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Alma mater	United States Military Academy
Profession	Congressional staff Office manager
Religion	Methodism
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Captain

Heineman (left) with Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt (center), and predecessor Mike Johanns (right) in 2006.

David Eugene "Dave" Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is the 39th and current Governor of Nebraska. He is a member of the Republican Party, and the current Chairman of the National Governors Association.

Early life, education and career

Heineman lived in a variety of places in eastern Nebraska during his youth, eventually attending high school in Wahoo, Nebraska. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1970. He served five years in the U.S. Army, leaving with the rank of captain. He also graduated the Army Ranger training program.

Heineman served on the Fremont City Council from 1990 to 1994. He also served two terms as the Nebraska State Treasurer from 1994 to 2001, and was appointed the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska on October 1, 2001. He was elected to his first full term as lieutenant governor in 2002. He is married to Sally Ganem, a former elementary school principal. They have one son.

Nebraska Governor

Heineman became Governor on January 20, 2005, following Mike Johanns' resignation to become United States Secretary of Agriculture in President George W. Bush's Cabinet. On April 11, 2005, he announced that he would be seeking election to a full four-year term. He had the backing of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, although he faced a difficult challenge in the Republican primary from former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach and U.S. Representative Tom Osborne. He took 49 percent of the more than 197,000 votes cast, and Osborne 45 percent.

In retrospect, the Lincoln Journal Star's analysis of the 2006 gubernatorial race attributed Heineman's win to his opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants, helping him win over rural voters. This proved critical in the primary. While Tom Osborne carried most of the Omaha and Lincoln areas—which cast more than two-thirds of Nebraska's vote—Heineman won by large-enough margins in western and central Nebraska to secure the nomination.

Heineman defeated Democratic nominee David Hahn in the November 7, 2006, general election, capturing 73.4 percent of the vote—one of the most lopsided victories for a gubernatorial race in Nebraska history.

As governor, Heineman worked with the Nebraska Legislature to pass the largest tax cut in state history. He also has pushed for legislation that would make the state's Department of Health and Human Services more accountable to citizens. In a state where agricultural issues are important, he has made them a top priority. He also helped to negotiate trade deals with Taiwan and Cuba for the exportation of wheat, soybeans, and other commodities, and has been a proponent of increased production of ethanol.

On April 13, 2010, Heineman signed landmark abortion legislation. One of the two bills he signed, bans abortions at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy on the basis of fetal health and the other requires women to be screened before having abortions for mental health and other problems. The first bill is LB1103 - Adopt the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Both sides of the abortion debate say the laws are firsts of their kind in the nation.

See also

• Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2010

External links

• Nebraska Office of the Governor Dave Heineman official state site
• Governor Dave Heineman official campaign site
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Campaign contributions for Mike Johanns and Dave Heineman (2000, 2002, 2004) at FollowTheMoney.org

Political offices
Preceded by Dawn Rockey	Treasurer of Nebraska 1995–2001	Succeeded by Lorelee Hunt Byrd
Preceded by David Maurstad	Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska 2001–2005	Succeeded by Rick Sheehy
Preceded by Mike Johanns	Governor of Nebraska 2005–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Christine Gregoire	Chairperson of National Governors Association 2011–present
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Joe Biden as Vice President	Order of Precedence of the United States Within Nebraska	Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held
		Succeeded by Otherwise John Boehner as Speaker of the House of Representatives
Preceded by Brian Sandoval as Governor of Nevada	Order of Precedence of the United States Outside Nebraska	Succeeded by John Hickenlooper as Governor of Colorado