Matt Williams (Nebraska politician)

In September 2013, Williams stated that he was considering running either for the Nebraska governorship or for an open seat in the Nebraska Legislature.[8] In late October, he announced that he would seek the legislative seat representing District 36, consisting of Dawson, Custer, and the northern third of Buffalo Counties, and including the cities of Gothenburg, Lexington, Cozad, and Broken Bow.[9][10] Under Nebraska's term-limits law, the incumbent, John Wightman, a Republican from Lexington, was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term.[11][12]

Williams, a Republican, faced a single opponent in the contest. Luis Sotelo, a Lexington Democrat, was a college-planning specialist working for EducationQuest, a Lincoln-based nonprofit established to improve access to post-secondary education in Nebraska. A native of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, Sotelo had been brought to the United States by his parents at the age of five. He had graduated from Lexington High School in 2007 and from Northwestern University in 2011, then taught school in Kansas City with the Teach For America organization.[13][14][15][16][17]

In the course of the campaign, Williams declared that the two most critical current issues in Nebraska were water policy, which he described as unsustainable, and the state's tax structure, which he said handicapped attempts to recruit businesses; he stated that his background in business and in agriculture and his "proven leadership skills" were what the voters wanted and needed.[18] Sotelo asserted that education, particularly in early childhood, was a critical issue,[18] and said that the legislature needed members who would represent Latinos, Africans, and the middle class, "not just upper-class whites".[19]

When the nonpartisan primary election was held in May 2014, Williams received 6348 of the 7368 votes cast, or 86.2% of the total. Sotelo received 1020 votes, or 13.8%.[20] Since there were only two candidates running, both moved on to the general election.[21]

Over the entire course of the campaign, Williams collected over $110,000 in contributions, and spent over $91,000.[22] The Sotelo campaign collected over $37,000, and spent over $34,000.[23] Major contributors to Williams's campaign included the Nebraska Realtors PAC, which gave $7000; the Nebraska Bankers State PAC, with contributions of over $4000; and the Nebraska Telecommunications Association, which yielded $4000. The Gothenburg State Bank contributed about $2600; several other banks and the Nebraska Independent Community Bankers PAC made up over $2600 in contributions.[22] Sotelo's single largest contributor was Leadership for Educational Equity, which provided $7750;[23] the group describes itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Teach For America corps members and alumni to grow as leaders in their communities and help build the movement for educational equity".[24] Sotelo also received $1750 from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and $1470 from the Nebraska Democratic Party.[23] The Nebraska State Education Association contributed $1350 to each campaign.[22][23]

In the November 2014 general election, Williams received 7599 of the 9747 votes cast, or 78% of the total. Sotelo received 2148 votes, or 22%.[25]

In the 2015 legislative session, Williams was named vice-chair of Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee; he was also appointed to the Judiciary Committee.[26]