Brad von Gillern is a Republican incumbent representing one of Nebraska’s newly competitive suburban districts, and one of its most extreme. Since winning a West Omaha seat in 2022, von Gillern has embraced the hard‑right playbook: banning gender‑affirming care for trans youth, restricting abortion, and importing national culture‑war fights into a district that expects pragmatic, pro‑freedom leadership.
This wasn’t a generational wave, it was a narrow break from the past. District 4 was a safe Republican hold as recently as 2018, when the GOP won it by more than twenty points. In 2022, von Gillern carried it by just 4.8%, a dramatic contraction. West Omaha is still right‑leaning on paper, but the race proved what local voters already feel: this seat is no fortress, and his politics are out of step with a growing share of the community.
He may have slipped through in 2022, but voters now know his record and he won’t do it in 2026. The race starts now.
He’s exposed. He’s extreme. He’s beatable.
Anti-LGBTQ+ and Anti-Family Record
Voted for LB 574 (2023), banning gender-affirming care for minors, using dismissive rhetoric likening care to tattoos.
Supported LB 89 (2025), restricting trans students’ participation in schools and activities.
Policies create stigma and unsafe environments for LGBTQ+ youth.
In an inclusive, education-focused district, chose culture-war politics over student well-being.
Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
Backed abortion restriction to 12 weeks, bundled into LB 574.
Law injects politics into urgent, complex medical situations.
Suburban women, independents, and younger voters see it as an attack on autonomy and privacy.
Prioritized ideology over health, safety, and family decision-making.
Culture War Over Constituents
Campaigned as pragmatic businessman; governs as culture-war activist.
Focused on bans and school micromanagement instead of taxes, childcare, or workforce needs.
No record of delivering on affordability, infrastructure, or family support.
Brand defined by divisive national grievances, not local solutions.
Key Vulnerabilities
Collapsing margin: from GOP +22 (2018) to von Gillern’s narrow 52.4% in 2022.
Regional headwinds: West Omaha reflects suburban moderation; NE-02 voted Biden in 2020.
Issue mismatch: Abortion restrictions & anti-LGBTQ bills alienate suburban women, parents, and independents.
Energized opposition: Physicians, educators, business, and faith leaders opposed his bans and are ready to organize.
Culture-war brand: No achievements on cost-of-living or schools—record defined by extremism, a liability in a competitive suburb.
Brad von Gillern has spent his time in office pushing bans and culture‑war policies onto a West Omaha district that expects freedom, competence, and respect. He voted to strip families of doctor‑directed care, restrict abortion access, and police students, while leaving the district’s real priorities for another day.
He has:
A hardline record on LGBTQ+ inclusion and reproductive rights
A shrinking margin in a district that moved from safe to competitive in one cycle
A voting record out of step with many West Omaha families’ expectations
No meaningful accomplishments on affordability, schools, or infrastructure
