By Joan von Kampen | Editor-in-chief

“(I) want to see those fights through.” - Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, on his reelection bid amid pending lawsuits including an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case on South Platte River rights.

“Mike Hilgers has forgotten that he’s no longer the speaker of the Legislature,” Jocelyn Brasher, Hilgers’ Democratic challenger, on why she decided to run against him.

The 2026 candidates for Nebraska attorney general: Republican Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Democrat Jocelyn Brasher of Omaha. (Photos by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

ELECTION 2026

By Erin Bamer

While Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said he views his public service one term at a time, it was a quick decision to seek reelection: He has unfinished business.

The GOP incumbent faces a challenge from Democrat Jocelyn Brasher, who said she decided to run after watching Hilgers take the Attorney General’s Office in what she believes is the “completely wrong direction.”

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Omaha Mayor John Ewing hold the key to the city Oct. 10, 2026, at the downtown Hilton. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

By Juan Salinas II

OMAHA — Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked to a full room of Nebraska Democrats on Saturday, emphasizing the importance of Democrats’ seizing the current political environment.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers hosts a news conference in his office in the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln on Aug. 26, 2026. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

ELECTION 2026

By Zach Wendling

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is asking the Nebraska Supreme Court to require the city of Lincoln to reimburse about $19,000 in state attorneys’ fees after the state prevailed in its position on three citizen-led Lincoln City Charter amendments.

John Cook, retired head coach of University of Nebraska volleyball, is Aksarben Foundation's 2026 "Most Honored Citizen." In this photo, taken a year before Cook retired, he testified before a Nebraska legislative committee in favor of an update of the state's "Good Life District Economic Development Act." (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

MOST HONORED CITIZEN

By Cindy Gonzalez

OMAHA — A 131-year-old nonprofit devoted to boosting Nebraska’s economy and workforce has named former University of Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook its 2026 “Most Honored Citizen.”

An aerial view shows a data center situated near single-family homes in Northern Virginia. The backlash against data centers has become a flashpoint in state and federal races across the country. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE

By Alex Brown

In the course of a single election cycle, the backlash against data centers has grown from an issue at local planning commission and city council meetings to become a flashpoint in state and federal races across the country.

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