Stothert: Beutler ‘Blindsided’ by Term Limits, If She Runs Again She’ll ‘Be Ready’

Omaha, NE.—With Lincoln voters showing Mayor Chris Beutler the term limit door, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert tells News Channel Nebraska if she runs for a third term she won't be blindsided. On Tuesday, Democrat Beutler was stopped in his tracks from running for a fourth term next spring by a 53-47 margin (4,600 votes). As News Channel Nebraska first reported several months ago, the Nebraska Democratic Party is ready to push for term limits keeping Stothert, a Republican, from running for a 3rd term in 2021. As the head of the NDP, Jane Kleeb, told me in August, "“If they (term limit Beutler) we will apply the same citizen led effort in Omaha…Democrats believe in fairness." Kleeb added, "We can have it on the ballot in 2020." In an interview with News Channel Nebraska Stothert all but challenged Kleeb to bring it on:

NCN, Joe Jordan: As you know the Nebraska Democratic Party has said if Beutler gets term limited they're coming after you, to stop you from a third term.

Stothert: I've not even said I'm running for mayor again but I like my job and I'm leaning towards that. But we will deal with that when the time comes, so I'm not worried about that right now at all. Omaha is a very different place than Lincoln. Beutler was pretty unprepared for this because he was already running for reelection.

NCN, Joe Jordan: So you think he was blindsided and that's not going to happen to you.

Stothert: I think he was blindsided...If they're going to term limit the Mayor of Omaha and I decide to run again we'll be ready."

(See Joe's Full Interview with Mayor Stothert Above)

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