(Lincoln, NE) – Bob Evnen, of Lincoln, announced today that he will be a candidate for Nebraska Secretary of State in 2018. Evnen is a former State Board of Education member and Lincoln attorney.
“Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the office of Secretary of State,” Evnen said. “I am looking forward to my tour of Nebraska this week listening to voters from across the state and hearing their views. I look forward to many trips around our great state over the next several months.”
Last month, incumbent Secretary of State John Gale announced his decision not to run for reelection in 2018. Evnen praised Secretary Gale’s service. “John Gale has organized and managed the office of Secretary of State in a responsible, efficient and effective manner,” Evnen said. “The citizens of Nebraska owe a debt of gratitude to Secretary Gale.”
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer and former State Board of Education member Mark Quandahl introduced Evnen and endorsed him. Fischer called Evnen a common-sense conservative who knows how to work with people to advance conservative governance, a dedicated worker and a fiscal conservative. “I am pleased to endorse him today for the office of Secretary of State,” she said.
Quandahl praised Evnen’s service on the State Board of Education, noting that Evnen’s leadership on the board helped to advance the goal of increasing the educational achievement of Nebraska’s children.
“I am honored to have the endorsement of Senator Deb Fischer and Mark Quandahl and I thank them for being here today,” Evnen said. “Senator Fischer is a tireless public servant who has taken Nebraska values to Washington and put them to work representing our state. Mark Quandahl has been a quiet, hard-working leader in all of the public service positions that he has held. I deeply appreciate the support of such effective leaders as Senator Fischer and Mark Quandahl.”
Quandahl and Evnen served together on the State Board of Education. Quandahl also has served as a state senator. Quandahl is Nebraska’s Director of Banking.
Evnen also expressed gratitude to Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, Congressman Don Bacon, and former governors Kay Orr and Charley Thone, all of whom have endorsed his candidacy.
Evnen said that he is seeking the office of Secretary of State, which oversees state elections, to assure that voting is fair and secure and that only those who are lawfully entitled to vote cast ballots. Evnen supports voter ID.
The Secretary of State is one of three members of the powerful Board of Pardons. Evnen said that he will put Nebraskans’ safety first when making Pardons Board decisions. Evnen was a co-founder and leader of Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, the group that secured a referendum on the death penalty after the legislature tried to repeal it. Last November, Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted to keep the death penalty on the books.
Speaking about the Secretary of State’s role as the protocol officer of the state – Nebraska’s ambassador to the world – Evnen said that he looks forward to working with Governor Ricketts to secure Nebraska’s economic future by expanding Nebraska’s exports world-wide, which is especially important for agriculture.
Evnen is a former member of the Nebraska State Board of Education, where he was appointed by Governor Dave Heineman in 2005 and was elected in 2008. Evnen also served for many years as a board member of Nebraska Continuing Legal Education, Inc., the education arm of the Nebraska State Bar Association. He has served in numerous leadership roles in the Nebraska Republican Party.
During his service on the State Board, Bob chaired the subcommittee that led to the Board’s adoption of new, more rigorous standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. He also was an integral part of other State Board initiatives, including the passage of a rule providing the opportunity for students to recite the pledge of allegiance every day.
Evnen’s parents, Everett and Elaine, started Lincoln Poultry, a small Nebraska business that grew into a large, successful food distribution company employing 200 people. He is a partner of Woods & Aitken LLP, where he represents businesses in his law practice.
Evnen and his wife Debra reside in Lincoln and have been married for 35 years. They have three grown children and two grandchildren, who are sixth generation Nebraskans.
See this link for the itinerary of Evnen’s announcement tour.