Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are focusing
our attention on a state that, well, I think
a lot of people just sort of categorize in their
minds as a simple plain state, you know, defined
only by agriculture, its central location. We're
traveling to the heart of the Great Plains, to
Nebraska, but... I assure you what we found in
the sources defies nearly every single stereotype.
It really does. I mean, it is the quintessential
American heartland on the surface. But when you
truly peel back the layers and and you really.
examine its political and economic foundation,
you find that Nebraska operates under a completely
different set of structural rules than the other
49 states. So our mission today is to take this
really detailed stack of sources we have covering
Nebraska's history, its economy, and that famously
singular political system, and just distill the
truly essential, surprising knowledge that allows
you, our listener, to be genuinely well -informed
about the Cornhusker State. That structural divergence
is exactly what defines this deep dive. Let's
start with a snapshot of the fundamentals, because
even the basics, they sort of set the stage for
the paradoxes to come. We're talking about the
Cornhusker state, and it operates under this
really powerful motto, equality before the law.
And in terms of sheer size. Nebraska is substantial.
It's the 16th largest state by land area. But
immediately you see that vastness of the American
West just colliding with the realities of population
density. Yeah, exactly. With just over 2 million
residents, based on 2024 estimates, it ranks
as the 38th most populous. So that makes it the
8th least densely populated state in the country.
It's just a place of enormous physical space
surrounding these concentrated urban centers.
Against that backdrop of traditional plains geography,
we find the two biggest structural exceptions
that make Nebraska a political outlier. And this
is the core of it. Number one, and this is the
core institutional focus of our deep dive. the
unicameral legislature. This is the only state
in the entire United States that has rejected
the bicameral, you know, the two house system
and opted instead for a single house governing
body. And the distinction doesn't even end there
with just the single chamber. The members. who
they call senators, are elected in strictly nonpartisan
races. That part is just fascinating to me. It's
incredible. The party affiliation is omitted
from the ballot entirely. It forces candidates
to campaign and legislate based on local issues,
on personality, rather than just relying on national
party platforms. I mean, that difference just
fundamentally alters the political incentives.
It does. It has to. It mandates a system where
compromise and public consensus, in theory at
least, take precedence over party rigidity. And
then there's the second major structural divergence,
which is how Nebraska manages federal elections,
the split electoral college vote. This is such
a critical technical point. Only Nebraska and
Maine allocate their presidential electoral votes
by congressional district. They move away from
that common winner -take -all model. So how does
that break down in Nebraska? Nebraska awards
two electoral votes to the statewide popular
vote winner, but the remaining three votes are
assigned based on the popular vote winner in
each of the state's three separate congressional
districts. So what's the practical effect of
that? I mean, even if the state as a whole votes
overwhelmingly for one party. Right. Say Republican.
The second congressional district, which covers
the dense urban core of Omaha, it can swing Democratic.
And it has. It has. And that forces a split in
the allocation. This has happened in several
recent elections. Yeah. And it gives that one
urban pocket this kind of outsized national influence.
So the takeaway from this introduction is just
crystal clear. Nebraska isn't just a traditional
red state. It's a structural experiment in American
governance. But to understand why it evolved
this way, we have to start with the land itself
and the name that defined it. Absolutely. It
all starts with the geography. OK, let's unpack
the etymological roots of the state. The name
Nebraska, it's not a settler invention. It's
an anglicization derived from the original indigenous
languages of the region. Specifically, the name
comes from the archaic Otoe term, Ni Brash, or
you have the Omaha term, Ni Blathaska. And they
both mean the same thing. They both mean flat
water. And this isn't like a poetic or abstract
reference. It's a literal description of the
state's dominant geological feature. That feature
is, of course, the Platte River. Of course. It's
shallow, it's wide, it's braided, and it flows
right through the central portion of the state.
Because of its flatness and width, it made an
ideal but, well, sometimes a tricky route for
early trappers and explorers, and then later
for the westward trails. It dictated migration
patterns for millennia. And those migration patterns
included various American Indian tribes. Historically,
the sources confirm a major presence from the
Omaha, the Missouri, Ponca, Pawnee and Otoe peoples.
Right. What's really fascinating, though, is
that the Lakota or Sioux groups were often later
arrivals. They were migrating westward into the
territory as well, which created this very dynamic
and often conflict ridden environment on the
plains. And this region was contested not just
among tribes. But between European powers in
the 17th and 18th centuries, you had both the
French and the Spanish vying for control. Yeah,
mostly through trade networks with indigenous
groups. Spain connected with the Apache out in
the West, while France established these really
crucial trade relationships all along the Missouri
River. The sources, though, they highlight one
specific, really crucial event that shifted the
balance of power decisively. And it's one that's
often left out of general U .S. history. The
Villisher Massacre of 1720. Exactly. This wasn't
a skirmish. This was a strategic catastrophe
for the Spanish. So give us the details, because
this narrative is really compelling. After war
broke out between Spain and France, Spain viewed
the Nebraska territory as its own. So Lieutenant
General Pedro de Villasor led this substantial
armed expedition north from Santa Fe. The idea
was to scout and, frankly, to intimidate French
traders and their indigenous allies. And he traveled
pretty far north. He did. Villasor traveled as
far north as the Platte River, near where present
-day Columbus is. But instead of an easy reconnaissance
mission, his expedition was just suddenly and
violently attacked. By who? By a massive, highly
coordinated force made up primarily of French
Allied Pawnee and Otoe warriors. The Spanish
were almost entirely wiped out, including Villasur
himself. Wow. And the consequence of that single
engagement was, I mean, it must have been immense.
Oh, it was. It wasn't just a loss of life. It
represented the definitive end of Spain's serious
exploration or expansion efforts in the Nebraska
region for the rest of the 18th century. It just
solidified French trade dominance right up until
the Louisiana Purchase brought American interests
into play. And American interest was formalized
in 1819 with the establishment of Fort Atkinson.
Right. The first U .S. Army post west to the
Missouri River. But the true demographic and
political transformation that started much later
is really fueled by that push for continental
expansion. And the pivotal moment there came
with the passage of the Kansas -Nebraska Act
in 1854. A very controversial piece of legislation.
It created the Nebraska Territory. Which was,
I mean, it was initially huge. It was, yeah.
Not just Nebraska. No, it included large portions
of what would eventually become Colorado, Wyoming,
Montana, and the Dakotas. And significantly,
it also included the concept of popular sovereignty
for determining the status of slavery. Which
had a more immediate and, well, violent effect
in neighboring Kansas. Exactly. But that territorial
creation that set the stage for this massive
rap and settlement period right after the Civil
War. After the U .S. government forced American
Indian tribes to relinquish vast amounts of land
through treaties and forced cessions, the Homestead
Act of 1862 just threw open this territory to
settlers. And thousands of them claimed free
land. fundamentally changing the landscape in
just a couple of decades. And this is where we
get that classic enduring image of the Nebraska
settler. Because trees were so rare and expensive,
especially out in the western parts of the territory,
many of the first farmers had to build their
homes out of thick strips of earth and grass.
The famous sod homes. This wasn't a choice of
preference. It was a necessity. It was dictated
by the raw physical reality of a treeless prairie.
So the combination of free land and these agricultural
innovations, it just led to a population boom
that was nothing short of staggering. Absolutely.
The population soared from just sparse settlements
to over 450 ,000 residents by the 1880s. And
key technological developments, like the invention
of barbed wire for fencing, the steel plow, which
was capable of breaking that tough prairie sod,
and then windmills to draw essential water, all
of that made large -scale mechanized agriculture
possible for the first time. And that transformation
led to statehood in 1867, making Nebraska the
37th state. And interestingly, that political
transition immediately demonstrated a keen sense
of political symbolism. The capital was moved
from Omaha to the smaller, more central town
of Lancaster. Which was immediately renamed Lincoln.
Right. Honoring the recently assassinated president.
And one final detail from this historical segment.
It really speaks to the close of the indigenous
era of resistance. The Battle of Massacre Canyon.
Fought on August 5, 1873. This was the final
major conflict between the Pawnee and the Sioux.
This engagement, which was largely provoked by
the Sioux, marked the end of large -scale intertribal
warfare on the Central Plains. And it coincides
almost exactly with the complete dominance of
American settlement. It does. It really sets
the stage for the modern state, a land defined
by its rivers, its vastness, and a history of
intense territorial conflict, which shifts us
now to the physical lay of the land. The geography
of Nebraska really does explain its role as America's
logistical connector. It's surrounded by six
states, South Dakota to the north. Yep, Iowa
and Missouri forming that eastern border along
the Missouri River, Kansas to the south, and
then Colorado and Wyoming defining the western
boundary. And despite being this contiguous landmass,
the state literally operates on two different
schedules. Right, the time zone split. The vast
majority of the state, including Omaha and Lincoln,
observe central time. But the Panhandle and the
surrounding counties in the west, they operate
under mountain time. And that line, drawn right
through the middle of the state, that's a very
real functional divider for business and daily
life. It really is. The river system is the state's
lifeline. You have three major systems flowing
west to east. The Neobura up in the north, the
Republican River cutting across the south, and
then most critically, the Platte River system.
Which we know means flat water. Exactly. The
Platte is formed by the confluence of the North
Platte and South Platte rivers, and its watershed
is just the foundation for so much of the state's
agriculture. So geographically, the state splits
very clearly along its length into two profoundly
different major regions. It does. The eastern
side is what's known as the dissected till plains.
This is the area that was repeatedly scoured
by Ice Age glaciers, leaving behind these gently
rolling hills and really rich, deep soil. And
that fertile land is where the population concentrated,
right? Leading to the development of the largest
cities. Precisely. Omaha and Lincoln are both
right there in that region. But then you move
west and you transition into the Great Plains
region, which covers the majority of the state.
This is that classic treeless prairie, but it's
far from monolithic. It includes these highly
specialized ecosystems that demand adaptation.
Oh, yeah. I mean, think of the unique, vast sandhills.
It's one of the largest intact. prairie ecosystems
in the world, covering about a quarter of the
entire state. And then you have the Pine Ridge,
the Rainwater Basin, which is critical for migratory
birds, the High Plains, and the Wildcat Hills
in the far west. It's a very diverse region that
really forces land management and ranching over
traditional row crops. And speaking of the Great
Plains, we have to mention the state's highest
point, Panorama Point. With a name that grand,
you'd expect some kind of dramatic alpine peak.
What stands out here is the magnificent Nebraska
understatement. Right. Panorama Point sits at
5 ,424 feet near the Colorado border, yet the
source has all confirmed that despite its name,
it is a relatively low rise. What does that even
mean? It's basically the highest point on a very
large, gently sloped floor. There's no dramatic
climb. It's just the apex of the high plains.
It's an elevation defined by what it isn't. That's
wonderfully Nebraskan, isn't it? It is. It reflects
the expansive, subtle geography of the plains.
And this identity confusion is even embedded
in the state's marketing history. For decades,
the slogan was, Welcome to Nebraskland, where
the West begins. But the question was, well,
where exactly did the West begin? Local towns
and regions couldn't agree. Right. I saw that.
Various places claimed the title. Some said Missouri
River, which is the obvious physical barrier.
Others claim the 100th meridian, that historical
divide between the humid east and the arid west.
There's even a red brick star marking a spot
at the intersection of 13th and O's streets in
Lincoln. The state couldn't decide if it was
the gateway to the west or the west itself. Which
leads directly to the current state tourism slogan,
which is, frankly, refreshingly honest. Honestly,
it's not for everyone. I love that. That self
-deprecating candor is just a huge departure
from the typical over the top boosterism you
find in state marketing campaigns. It really
is. Let's quickly detail the climate. The eastern
two thirds falls under a humid continental climate,
sometimes dipping into humid subtropical conditions
near the Kansas border. Which means plenty of
moisture for corn. Exactly. Western Nebraska,
conversely, is classified as semi -arid, reflecting
that change in latitude and elevation. And both
sections experience these dramatic seasonal variations,
hot, humid summers and brutally cold winters.
However, the western portion does get a specific
reprieve in winter from the Chinook wind. Oh,
right. It's a warm, dry airflow that descends
the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, and
it often provides a temporary, pretty significant
warming or moderating effect. But despite those
moderating effects, Nebraska is firmly situated
in Tornado Alley. Oh, yes. Violent storms are
common in spring, summer, and sometimes autumn.
And the temperature records, they really reflect
this volatility. A staggering high of 118 degrees
Fahrenheit in Minden in 1936, juxtaposed with
an extreme low of negative 47 degrees Fahrenheit
recorded at Camp Clark in 1899. That is an incredible
range. Finally, we should acknowledge the federally
managed lands that define the historical experience
here. Beyond the Nebraska National Forest, you
have the Oglala National Grassland. But more
importantly, the great markers of the Oregon,
Mormon, and California trails are preserved here.
Like Chimney Rock. Exactly. Chimney Rock National
Historic Site, Homestead National Monument of
America, and Scotts Bluff National Monument.
These places remind you that this flat water
land was the superhighway of 19th century America.
This landscape of contrast, from the fertile,
dissected -till plains to the arid sandhills,
it required settlers and political thinkers to
adapt and innovate. And that spirit of independent
problem -solving is mirrored perfectly in the
state's completely unique approach to government.
This brings us to the unicameral anomaly. This
is the centerpiece of our deep dive. As we established,
Nebraska is the only state in the United States
with a single -house, unicameral legislature.
And the implications of this are enormous. It
just shifts the power dynamics between citizens,
legislators and the governor. In the body itself
is officially just called the legislature or
the unicameral. And yes, the members, all 49
of them, they hold the title of senator, even
though they're all in one chamber. Right. Which
sort of harkens back to the prestige of the upper
house they abolished. It does. But the truly
radical element is the nonpartisan nature of
the election. candidates run without a party
label on the ballot. And while, of course, everyone
knows their senator's political leaning once
they're elected, the institution is fundamentally
structured to deprioritize national party discipline.
Leadership roles, including the speaker and committee
chairs, are elected purely on merit or internal
negotiation, not based on which party holds the
majority. So the natural question is, why? Why
did Nebraska, a state that's generally conservative
in nature, decide to toss out the classic bicameral
model favored by nearly every other government
in the Western world? Let's dive into the history.
So before 1937. Before the change, the bicameral
system was plagued by the same issues it faces
elsewhere. Inefficiency, redundancy, high cost.
But the champion for change was U .S. Senator
George Norris. One of the most famous progressives
in American history. Absolutely. known nationally
for his anti -establishment reformist views.
And Norris had this multi -layered argument.
He famously said that in a state with primarily
one class, meaning a largely agrarian and relatively
uniform socioeconomic structure, having two legislative
bodies doing the same thing was just an unnecessary
duplication of effort and expense. His argument
was essentially populist common sense. Why pay
for two to do the job of one? But the key argument,
and this is the one that spoke directly to voter
distrust during the Great Depression, it centered
on legislative accountability. Right. Norris
argued that bicameralism allowed for these secretive
conference committees where small groups of legislators
from both houses meet behind closed doors to
reconcile differing bill versions. And they can
just slip things in. Exactly. They could insert
last minute provisions that neither house had
publicly debated or voted on. That sounds like
the perfect recipe for special interest writers
and just, well, opaque lawmaking. And unicameralism
was sold to the public as the antidote to that,
a system where all the action happens in a single
visible house, removing the opportunity for those
backroom deals. And that campaign worked. The
unicameral system was adopted via a state initiative
in 1934, motivated by that desire for budgetary
efficiency and transparency. The first session
was held in 1937. And today, Nebraska maintains
specific transparency rules that are quite modern.
For example, bills can contain only one subject,
and they have to receive a minimum of five days
of public consideration before a final vote.
That structural push for efficiency, it even
extends to checks and balances. The Nebraska
legislature requires only a three -fifths majority
to override a gubernatorial veto. Right. And
you should contrast that with the two -thirds
requirement you see in many other states. So
what does that three -fifths threshold tell us
about the power dynamic there? It clearly shows
that the legislative branch retains significant
power over the executive. A lower override bar
means the governor's veto is less absolute. It's
easier for the legislature to overcome through
consensus. The whole structure is designed to
empower the collective legislative will over
the potential obstruction of the executive branch.
And this unique system is housed in an equally
unique structure, the Nebraska State Capitol
in Lincoln. It's an architectural marvel built
between 1922 and 1932, constructed from Indiana
limestone. It's not a classic dome at all. It
features a massive 400 -foot dome tower rising
from this cross within a square base. It's a
truly distinctive architectural statement. And
that tower is crowned by the sower. A 19 -foot
bronze statue that represents agriculture. and
the foundational strength of the state's economy,
literally towering over the governmental process.
So now let's connect that institutional structure
to Nebraska's role on the national stage, which
brings us back to the other big anomaly, the
split electoral vote. Why does this mechanism
matter so much, particularly in a reliably Republican
state? Well, the mechanism is simple, but the
impact is profound. We know two votes go statewide,
but the other three are distributed one per congressional
district. This means that if Democrats can win
just one district, they break that winner -take
-all monopoly. And that single district is the
second congressional district centered on Omaha.
Help us understand the boundaries and the demographics
of that district and why it's the perennial Democratic
crack in that red wall. So the second district
is the state's most urban. It encompasses Omaha
and its core suburbs. It's significantly more
diverse. It has a much higher concentration of
white -collar workers, financial institutions,
the University of Nebraska Omaha campus. It also
includes Offutt Air Force Base. So because of
this urban, educated, and diverse profile, its
political leanings just mirror many swing districts
nationally. It contrasts sharply with the rural
agrarian interests that dominate the other two
districts. This structural certainty that the
second district will always be competitive has
led to historical splits, most notably in 2008
and 2020 and even in the recent 2024 election.
Right. And it compels presidential candidates,
even those who know they can't win Nebraska statewide,
to campaign in Omaha because securing that single
electoral vote might be nationally decisive.
It's a powerful mechanism for ensuring urban...
interests aren't completely ignored by the statewide
party machines. It forces a level of political
nuance that is just absent in states like Texas
or California, where the winner -take -all system
allows candidates to ignore vast sections of
the population. And this inherent push and pull
within the state's politics, it brings up a striking
contradiction. Despite its overall conservative
leaning, Nebraska has a really robust tradition
of progressive social reforms. This raises a
fascinating question, doesn't it? Why does a
historically Republican state sometimes lead
the nation on social change? And the source material
offers compelling evidence. Nebraska was the
first U .S. state to outlaw sexual assault within
a marriage in 1975. Just think about the political
heavy lifting required to pass a law like that
50 years ago. I mean, it required crossing some
really deep -seated cultural lines. Absolutely.
And then five years later, in 1980, Nebraska
was the first state in the nation to divest from
South Africa in protest of the apartheid regime.
These were not minor, quiet legislative shifts.
These were highly visible, politically risky
actions that were far ahead of the curve nationally.
So if we connect this back to George Norris's
vision, what does it suggest about that unicameral
structure? How did the nonpartisan transparent
system facilitate these seemingly progressive
wins? It suggests that when legislators are removed
from the immediate pressure of party labels and
national platforms, they may be more inclined
to vote based on constituent need or conscience
or the compelling moral argument of a bill. I
think that's right. The nonpartisan structure
inherently weakens the ability of national parties
to enforce discipline. And that potentially allows
for broader, often progressive, consensus on
specific social justice issues, especially when
those issues align with the state motto, equality
before the wall. The takeaway here is profound.
Nebraska is a working laboratory demonstrating
that institutional design, the rules of the game,
can sometimes trump underlying political ideology.
Let's move now to the engine that funds this
unique government, the economy. When you look
at Nebraska's economic profile, you see a deep
foundation in agriculture, but a surprisingly
sophisticated superstructure built on logistics,
finance, and specialized manufacturing. Agriculture
remains the massive pillar, for sure. Nebraska
is globally famous for its output. Beef, pork,
wheat, corn, soybeans, sorghum. The overall economic
scale is significant. Back in 2010, the gross
state product was already nearly $90 billion,
and that's only grown. The diversification, though,
that's the key. to the state's resilience. Nebraska's
success in navigating recent economic turbulence,
which resulted in a record -breaking low unemployment
rate of 1 .9 % in October 2021. That's due to
its strength in logistics and corporate headquarters.
And given its location right at the geographical
center of the U .S., logistics is paramount.
Omaha serves as the headquarters of the Union
Pacific Railroad, which was incorporated way
back in 1862 and is still one of the largest
freight hauling railroads in North America. And
the physical infrastructure required to support
that operation is just immense. The world's largest
railroad classification yard, Bailey Yard, is
located in North Platte. What does that actually
mean, classification yard? It processes thousands
of rail cars every single day. It acts as a massive
operational hub that coordinates freight traffic
across the entire continent. That single facility
demonstrates Nebraska's vital importance to the
national supply chain. But Omaha's corporate
identity extends far beyond rail. It's an unlikely
financial and investment hub. And the most famous
example, of course, is Berkshire Hathaway, led
by Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha. But beyond
Berkshire, you have these giants in insurance
and financial services. Mutual of Omaha, Woodman
of the World, Emeritus. And they're also significant
players in construction, like... kiawood corporation
telecommunications with west corporation and
data analytics with gallup all headquartered
in the city. This corporate concentration just
proves that Nebraska's economy is anything but
one -dimensional. Outside of Omaha, we see key
businesses like Nelnet and Huddle, which are
major players in student loan services and sports
analytics software. Right, based in Lincoln.
And we can't forget the outdoors retail giant
Cabela's, which was founded and headquartered
in Sydney, out in the Panhandle, reflecting that
Western hunting and fishing culture of the region.
Now, let's talk about some surprising everyday
inventions that... It sprang from Nebraska ingenuity,
connecting back to that spirit of adaptation
we saw in the Sod House era. First, the official
state soft drink, Kool -Aid. I love this fact.
It was invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in Hastings.
It was originally sold as a liquid concentrate
called Fruit Smack. But Perkins figured out that
shipping a powdered version was much, much cheaper.
The town still celebrates this legacy every August
during Kool -Aid days. And second, the academic
study guide that rescued generations of students,
Cliff's Notes. Developed by Clifton Hillegas
of Rising City, Nebraska. These guides were adapted
from Canadian publications but became an American
academic staple. Just small -town ingenuity solving
a national problem of complex literature. And
finally, the indispensable workshop tool, the
Vice Grip Locking Pliers. Invented by William
Peterson and DeWitt in 1924. This tool just embodied
the mechanical innovation required by the agrarian
economy, providing mechanics and farmers with
a versatile locking tool. We should also detail
the highly specialized manufacturing sector,
specifically Kawasaki Motors manufacturing in
Lincoln. This isn't just an assembly plant. It's
a global center of excellence. It's the only
Kawasaki plant globally that produces three distinct
and crucial product lines. The jet ski. the ATV,
and a MUE utility vehicle. To all of them. Every
single one of those products sold globally originated
from that Lincoln facility. It demonstrates a
high level of trusted engineering and proficient
manufacturing in the state. Now let's address
the most significant structural element of the
state's economy, a policy decision that is nearly
as radical as the unicameral system itself. Nebraska
is the public power state. That is precisely
right. Nebraska is the only state in the U .S.
where all electric utilities are publicly owned.
There are no investor -owned utilities operating
the power grid. And this is a monumental structural
difference from nearly every other state. And
the history of this transition is rooted in the
early 20th century. George Norris, the same senator
who championed unicameralism, was also a fervent
proponent of public power. Right. He argued that
essential services like electricity should not
be controlled by private monopolies motivated
by profit, but by public entities motivated by
service and cost. So the final investor -owned
utility was purchased in 1946, completing that
statewide transition. The primary argument was
cost control and flood mitigation, especially
concerning the development of hydroelectric projects
on the Platte and Missouri rivers. And this structure
means that electric rates are generally not subject
to the pressures of shareholder returns, though
they do, of course, have to cover operational
costs and infrastructure investment. When we
look at the energy mix today, Nebraska remains
a massive producer of ethanol biofuel. fuels,
the second largest nationally, which reflects
its corn production. And half of its electricity
still comes from coal. But reflecting the infrastructure
investments made by those public power districts,
wind power is the fastest growing source in the
state. However, despite the public ownership
designed for efficiency, Nebraska is a top 10
state for per capita energy consumption. If rates
are low and supply is public, why the high consumption?
That high rate is directly linked to the state's
economic pillars. You have enormous energy demands
from the highly mechanized, irrigated agriculture
sector, particularly in the summer. And then
coupled with that are the massive energy requirements
of the meatpacking and food processing industries,
which require constant high volume energy input
for refrigeration and processing. The consumption
is driven by industry, not just by residential
use. It's a closed loop. The power system is
public because the agricultural industry demands
cheap, reliable power, which in turn leads to
high consumption. Shifting now to demographics,
we see the defining tension of modern Nebraska,
the vast shrinking rural landscape versus the
powerful growing urban centers. The rural character
is just inescapable. The sources show that 89
percent of Nebraska's cities and towns have fewer
than 3 ,000 residents and hundreds of them contain
fewer than 1 ,000. These are the small towns
that form the social fabric of the plains. But
the data also shows a long -term shift. I mean,
between 1990 and 2000 alone, 53 of the state's
93 counties experienced population decline. This
trend creates real challenges for maintaining
infrastructure, schools, and services in rural
areas. Conversely, the growth is heavily concentrated.
The state's major urban centers, Omaha and Lincoln,
have seen substantial recent growth. Lincoln,
for instance, grew 14 .5 % between 2000 and 2010.
And Omaha was officially classified as the single
metropolitan class city, and Lincoln as the primary
class city. Right. And outside of those two centers,
the combined area of Grand Island, Hastings,
and Kearney, often known as the Tri -Cities,
forms an important regional economic and demographic
hub in central Nebraska. It helps to balance
the western and eastern concentrations. Let's
discuss ancestry, because it really challenges
that monolithic view of the American heartland.
Historically, German -Americans are the largest
ancestry group, comprising 36 .1 % of the population,
often concentrated in the eastern and central
counties. But Nebraska also boasts two highly
specific national leadership positions in ancestry.
It has the highest percentage of Czech American
and non -Mormon Danish American populations nationally.
And that reflects these distinct waves of European
settlement in the late 19th century. And we have
to note Thurston County, which is entirely made
up of the Omaha and Winnebago reservations and
has a unique demographic profile, an American
Indian majority. A powerful reminder of the land's
original inhabitants and continuous sovereignty.
But here's where Nebraska truly becomes a modern
global crossroads. Its role as a refugee hub.
This is a truly remarkable fact that often surprises
people. It does. In 2016, Nebraska welcomed more
refugees per capita than any other state in the
nation. This wasn't accidental. It was driven
by a robust network of nonprofits, faith -based
organizations, and community resources all committed
to resettlement. And the most striking example
is the Yazidi community. Lincoln serves as the
largest home for Yazidi refugees and Yazidi Americans
in the entire United States. It's providing a
safe haven for this specific community that has
fledged genocidal violence in Iraq and Syria.
The broader influx of immigrants is reflected
in the top countries of origin, Mexico, India,
China, Guatemala, and El Salvador. These populations
are often drawn by available labor in the logistics,
service, and meatpacking industries, fueling
the economic growth of the urban and tri -cities
areas. And this increasing diversity is dramatically
illustrated in the state's birth data analysis.
We can track a significant and really rapid demographic
shift between 2013 and 2023. OK, so looking at
the live birth data by the mother's ethnicity,
the trend is undeniable. In 2013, births to white
mothers constituted 73 .7 percent of the total.
Births to Hispanic mothers were 14 .9 percent.
And then you fast forward a decade. By 2023,
the share of births to white mothers dropped
to 64 .9 percent. That's nearly a nine point
reduction. Concurrently, the percentage of birth
to Hispanic mothers surged to 20 .8 percent.
This data is so critical. It shows that Nebraska
is one of the fastest changing. demographic states
in the heartland. Yeah. And this shift impacts
everything from the language needs in public
schools to the types of businesses being started
and the future political electorate we were just
discussing, linking right back to the strength
of the second congressional district. Let's round
out the section with culture, education and the
passion point for many Nebraskan sports. The
state has a comprehensive higher education system.
led by the University of Nebraska system, with
campuses in Lincoln, Kearney, Omaha, and the
Medical Center. And the academic foundation is
solid, but the cultural obsession is amateur
athletics. It is. Nebraska has a massive presence
across NCAA and AIA and NJCAA levels. We are
talking about the highest tier of college sports,
smaller four -year schools, and community colleges,
showing a deep, pervasive commitment to athletics
at every level of education. The religious devotion,
of course, is directed primarily at the University
of Nebraska Cornhuskers football program. But
the ultimate centerpiece of the sports year is
baseball. Omaha has hosted the College World
Series since 1950. The culmination of the NCAA
Division I Baseball Championship. It was hosted
first at Rosenblatt Stadium and now at Charles
Schwab Field, Omaha. This event is not just a
sporting spectacle. It's an annual, massive economic
and cultural institution for the city, bringing
tens of thousands of visitors and a national
spotlight every June. And while college sports
dominate, professional sports are emerging. We
have the Omaha Supernovas and the Pro Volleyball
Federation reflecting the sports popularity in
the region. And Union Omaha in USL League One
soccer. alongside established minor league teams.
It's a community defined by its deep roots, European
history, and a surprising, welcoming posture
toward global newcomers, all wrapped up in a
deep passion for the local institutions. Our
deep dive into the Cornhusker State has really
revealed a landscape of striking contradictions.
Far from being a simple, uniform, plain state,
Nebraska is an outlier. It's an American exception
defined by its institutional choices. We connected
the name. flat water to its core geography, and
we traced its early history from the devastating
Villashore Massacre to the sought -home era of
the Homestead Act. We mapped that profound geographical
split between the rich, dissected -till plains
and the vast, arid Great Plains. Institutionally,
it stands completely alone, the only state with
a nonpartisan, unicameral legislature. a system
specifically designed by Senator George Norris
to maximize transparency and efficiency by eliminating
backroom deals and legislative redundancy. And
this commitment to governmental accountability
is mirrored in the state's economic structure.
It's the only state where all electric utilities
are publicly owned, a decision rooted in populist
concerns over fairness and cost control for its
massive agricultural base. And federally, it
forces complexity through the split electoral
college vote, ensuring that the urban Omaha district
retains political weight on the national stage,
even as the state leans conservative overall.
We also noted that despite that conservative
leaning, the state has a powerful track record
of progressive social reform, leading the nation
in outlawing sexual assault within a marriage
and divesting from apartheid South Africa. The
institutional structure appears to enable cross
-party consensus on moral imperatives. And finally,
the modern demographic profile reveals a state
that's rapidly embracing its status as a global
crossroads, welcoming more refugees per capita
than any other state and seeing a rapid, accelerating
shift in its birth data profile. So let's revisit
the state motto, equality before the law. Given
Nebraska's foundation built on transparency and
nonpartisanship and its history of unexpected
social reform. What can this highly structured,
unusual state teach us about political accountability
and social change today? Well, it encourages
us to look beyond party labels and consider that
structure truly is policy. The removal of overt
party branding in the legislature, combined with
strict transparency rules like that five day
consideration rule, it seems to have created
a political environment where legislative senators
might find it easier to act on their conscience
or their constituents immediate needs rather
than strictly following a rigid national party
line. It forces the question, doesn't it? If
the goals of George Norris, transparency, efficiency
and representation unburdened by national party
friction were applied nationwide through nonpartisan
single chamber legislatures, would we see a similar
pattern of surprising ahead of the curve social
reforms, even in deeply partisan political environments?
Nebraska, the quiet exception hidden in the American
heartland, demonstrates that political innovation
is still possible and that the institutional
rules matter far more than we often realize.
It's definitely something worth mulling over
the next. next time you hear a political debate
dominated by party rhetoric.