Matthew James "Matt" Connealy (born December 11, 1951) is a former member the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

, and former

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the

Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the Midwest C ...

Personal life

Born in

Oakland, Nebraska Oakland is a city in Burt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,244 at the 2010 census. Oakland continues to build on its strong foundation with its bi-annual Swedish Festival and is known by its proclamation from the Swedish Con ...

, he graduated from Decatur High School in 1970. He attended the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, and the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1970 to 1973.

Career

He was elected in 1998 to represent the 16th Nebraska legislative district and reelected in 2002. He sat on the General Affairs committee and was vice chairperson of the Revenue, Urban Affairs, and Building Maintenance committees. Due to term limits approved by Nebraska voters in Initiative Measure 415 in 2001, state senators are limited to two terms, and Connealy was "termed out" in 2006.

Campaigns and elections

He unsuccessfully ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 2004 in . Connealy won a competitive four-way primary on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 with 50.2% of the vote, defeating Janet Stewart, Charlie Matulka, and Phil Chase for the nomination. In the general election,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Jeff Fortenberry Jeffrey Lane Fortenberry (born December 27, 1960) is a former United States congressman. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2022, representing as a member of the Republican Party. In October 2021, a federal ...

defeated State Senator Matt Connealy 54%-43%. Connealy won only two counties: Thurston and Burt. In 2006, Connealy unsuccessfully sought elective office as Nebraska Public Service Commissioner for district 3. Connealy was defeated by Tim Schram 56%-44%.

References

External links

''The Washington Post'' 2004 election results
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connealy, Matt 1951 births Living people Democratic Party Nebraska state senators University of Nebraska alumni People from Oakland, Nebraska People from Decatur, Nebraska Catholics from Nebraska