Republicans Stunned by Shock Loss…in Nebraska?!

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast: Republicans Stunned by Shock Loss…in Nebraska?!

Release Date: May 14, 2025

Hosts:

• Ben Meiselas – Top lawyer and Colin Kaepernick’s business partner
• Brett Meiselas – Two-time Emmy award-winning video editor
• Jordy Meiselas – Award-winning advertising executive and fan favorite

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, the Meiselas brothers delve into the unexpected and significant political shift in Nebraska, where Republicans experienced a shocking defeat in a key mayoral race. This episode blends insightful political analysis with engaging brotherly banter, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the factors leading to this surprising outcome.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Unexpected Republican Defeat in Omaha, Nebraska

   The episode begins with the political analyst highlighting a remarkable defeat for Republicans in Omaha, a traditionally stronghold. “Republicans just suffered a stunning, shocking and decisive defeat in a critical mayor's race showing the unpopularity of Donald Trump and the overall MAGA brand,” the analyst states at [00:28].

   • Election Results:
     • Jean Stothert, the longest-serving Republican incumbent mayor, lost her seat to John Ewing Jr., the Democratic candidate.
     • The defeat marks a 20-point swing from the previous election, where Stothert won easily.

2. Campaign Strategies: MAGA vs. Pragmatic Governance

   The analysts dissect the contrasting campaign strategies of the candidates:

   • Jean Stothert’s Campaign:

     • Focused on MAGA-aligned issues such as anti-trans policies and bathroom bills.
     • “Stothert was running on a platform closely tied to all of the MAGA talking points. Anti trans. She kept on talking about bathrooms,” [00:28].

   • John Ewing Jr.’s Campaign:

     • Emphasized local issues like potholes, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
     • “John is focused on fixing potholes, actually getting things done for the American people and not focused on all of these MAGA Republican distractions,” [03:38].

3. Victory and Concession Speeches

   The podcast features clips from both the victory speech of John Ewing Jr. and the concession speech of Jean Stothert, highlighting their contrasting tones and priorities.

   • John Ewing Jr.’s Victory Speech:

     • “Tonight we embark on a new chapter. I am deeply honored and humbled to stand before you today as your mayor elect,” [03:02].

   • Jean Stothert’s Concession Speech:

     • Reflective and gracious, focusing on gratitude and the future.
     • “We are proud, we are grateful and we are hopeful. I've loved every minute that I have been at City Hall,” [03:38].

4. Public and Party Reactions

   • Messages and Social Media Posts:

     • DNC Chair Ken Martin and other Democrats celebrated the victory as a sign of the weakening MAGA influence.
     • “Nebraska Dems and the Dem mayor got this done. Watch out GOP. We are winning all over the country,” [04:12].

   • Political Advertisements:

     • Democratic ads criticized Stothert’s focus on culture war issues versus Ewing’s attention to practical problems.
     • “Gene is focused on potties. John is focused on fixing potholes,” [04:12].

5. Ground Realities and Public Sentiment

   The podcast explores grassroots reactions and the local population’s shift away from MAGA rhetoric.

   • Public Protests and Concerns:

     • Highlighted significant protests against Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans in Nebraska.
     • “People have been showing up to town halls of MAGA Republican Congress members,” [06:47].

   • Economic and Social Concerns:

     • Issues like tax cuts for billionaires affecting Social Security and Medicaid.
     • “Crowds chanting tax the rich in the ruby red district of Republican Representative Mike Flood,” [07:43].

6. Broader Implications for the GOP

   The analysts discuss how this loss could signal a broader trend of diminishing Republican influence in traditionally conservative areas.

   • Loss of Trust in Republican Leadership:

     • “People are losing trust in the Republican leaders in Nebraska,” [09:44].

   • Leadership and Policy Critique:

     • Criticism of the current administration’s departure from established Republican legacies.
     • “We are undermining that legacy right now,” [09:59].

Notable Quotes with Attribution

• Political Analyst:

  • “Republicans just suffered a stunning, shocking and decisive defeat in a critical mayor's race showing the unpopularity of Donald Trump and the overall MAGA brand,” [00:28].
  • “Gene is focused on potties. John is focused on fixing potholes.” [04:12]
  • “We are the boss, not the President. We are their constituents,” [07:20]

• Jean Stothert:

  • “We are proud, we are grateful and we are hopeful. I've loved every minute that I have been at City Hall,” [03:38].

• John Ewing Jr.:

  • “Tonight we embark on a new chapter. I am deeply honored and humbled to stand before you today as your mayor elect,” [03:02].

• Republican Representative Don Bacon:

  • “People are losing trust in the Republican leaders in Nebraska,” [09:44].

Analysis and Insights

The Meiselas brothers provide a thorough analysis of how the focus on divisive culture war issues by Republicans, particularly under the MAGA banner, alienated voters in Omaha. In contrast, the Democratic candidate’s emphasis on tangible local issues resonated more with the electorate. This episode underscores a possible national trend where practical governance overshadows ideological battles, leading to significant political shifts even in conservative territories.

Conclusions

The surprising mayoral shift in Omaha serves as a critical indicator of the evolving political landscape in the United States. The Meiselas brothers conclude that this defeat for the GOP could herald further losses if the party continues to prioritize divisive issues over substantive local concerns. As Nebraska flips blue for the first time in 12 years, the implications for future elections nationwide are profound, suggesting that voter priorities may be shifting towards effective governance and away from partisan rhetoric.

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Stay Connected: For more in-depth analyses and updates, tune into The MeidasTouch Podcast every Tuesday and Friday morning, and catch live video episodes every Monday and Thursday night at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT on the MeidasTouch YouTube channel.

Transcript

[Host]

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[Political Analyst]

Call 1-800- gambler Republicans just suffered a stunning, shocking and decisive defeat in a critical mayor's race showing the unpopularity of Donald Trump and the overall MAGA brand in of all places, Omaha, Nebraska. The longest serving Republican incumbent mayor in the entire country, Mayor Jean Stothert, just lost her mayor's seat to the Democratic candidate, John Ewing, Jr. That's right, Omaha, Nebraska. The Democratic candidate will go on to win. And get this, it is now a 20 point swing from the last election where Gene Stothert, the prior mayor who just lost, cruised to an easy victory. Now again, this shows the unpopularity of the MAGA brand. Now why am I saying that? Because former Mayor Stothert was running on a platform closely tied to all of the MAGA talking points. Anti trans. She kept on talking about bathrooms. And the people of Omaha, Nebraska are like, talk about what matters to us. Stop bullying marginalized communities. And now Mayor elect John Ewing Jr. He was talking about issues like potholes. He was talking about issues like health care. He was talking about issues like jobs. He was talking about issues like infrastructure. He was talking about issues like how the MAGA Republicans have engaged in a hostile takeover of our government which has now trickled down to destroy local governments and affect local jobs and strip people of health coverage and access to Social Security offices in places like Omaha. So I want to show you the moment right here where John Ewing Jr. The Democratic candidate went on to win. He's going to win by about seven points again, a 20 point swing from the last race that took place where Mayor Gene former Mayor Gene Stothert went on to win the race in 2021. Here is John Ewing Jr. Celebrating the victory. Let's play this clip. And here is John Ewing's speech. Here's his victory speech. Let's play it.

[Host]

Tonight we embark on a new chapter. I am deeply honored and humbled to stand before you today as your mayor elect.

[Political Analyst]

Let me show you the concession speech right here by the former mayor Jean Stother. Here is her concession speech. Play this clip.

[Jean Stothert]

Well, let me tell you, I called John Ewing and I congratulated him. John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we all love. We are proud, we are grateful and we are hopeful. I've loved every minute that I have been at City hall, four years on the council, 12 years as mayor. I have no regrets whatsoever ever. And I sincerely thank each one of you that are here tonight for your partnership and your friendship. Thank you all so much. Thank you.

[John Ewing Jr.]

Thank you.

[Political Analyst]

Now let's go through some of the messages right now that are being posted. So this right here from DNC Chair Ken Martin. He says the longest serving incumbent mayor in the country, a Republican, just got fired by Democrat John Ewing in Omaha, Nebraska. Congratulations Mayor Elect Ewing. Nebraska Dems and the Dem mayor got this done. Watch out gop. We are winning all over the country, up and down the ballot right now. Matt McDermott wrote when it was official. It's official. Omaha's Republican Mayor Gene Stothert loses to Democrat John Ewing, flipping the city blue for the first time in 12 years. Stothert ended her campaign pushing anti trans bathroom bans voters rejected. And you had ads like this from the Democratic Party, the Nebraska Democrats, smart ads like this. Gene is focused on potties. John is focused on fixing potholes, actually getting things done for the American people and not focused on all of these MAGA Republican distractions and bullying of marginalized communities, the Nebraska Democratic Party wrote as part of the campaign. Economics are at the top of people's minds, including potholes all over Omaha. Ewing will make lives better by focusing on issues that impact all of us. Jean Stothert and her allies are sending hateful mail and pushing creepy bathroom bills. Vote John Ewing on May 13th. And indeed that's what took place as we posted on the Midas Touch Network. This is a huge flip. A 20 point swing. Democrat John Ewing Jr. Just turned Omaha blue, defeating the longest serving GOP mayor in the country and becoming the city's first black mayor in history. Impressive accomplishment indeed. And folks, we've been following here on the Midas Touch Network what has been happening on the ground in Nebraska as well. And PBS did a great piece. There have been major, major protests in Nebraska against Donald Trump and Doge. People have been showing up to town halls of MAGA Republican Congress members. Take a look right here as Nebraskans are waking up to the fact that their Social Security and Medicaid is on the chopping block for tax cuts for billionaires. This was at a Nebraska town hall. Play this clip.

[Town Hall Participant]

There is no organized protest, but in this deep red congressional district, those here have deep seated concern about President Trump and Elon Musk.

[Midas Touch Network Host]

So are we going to sit at home on the couch and let these billionaires control the country? Hell no.

[Jean Stothert]

I almost kind of want to cry. It's just I don't see any hope.

[Town Hall Participant]

Where are you from?

[Political Analyst]

Columbus.

[Town Hall Participant]

Columbus. Contrary to some Republican claims that outside groups come to disrupt. Who's from the congressional district? All of you are from the congressional district. Has anyone been paid to be here?

[Political Analyst]

No, no one. I'm actually taking work off.

[Town Hall Participant]

You're taking work?

[John Ewing Jr.]

I'm losing money.

[Political Analyst]

We are the boss, not the President. We are their constituents. You don't have to follow all of us, but we have to have a voice. I know that some of you in this room are angry. And here from the Nebraska town hall, crowds chanting tax the rich in the ruby red district of Republican Representative Mike Flood. Let's play this clip right here. Tax the rich.

[Host]

Tax the rich. Tax theft.

[Political Analyst]

Here's a. Okay, let's talk about this. Let's talk about this. So your proposal to solve this is to tax the rich.

[Midas Touch Network Host]

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[Political Analyst]

Even Nebraska's GOP Representative Don Bacon talking about how people are losing trust in the Republican leaders in Nebraska. Here's what he had to say a little bit ago.

[John Ewing Jr.]

Play this clip we were the leader of the free world, but it appears to many leaders and people all over to include Republicans in Nebraska, that this administration is walking away from that legacy that was built by Ike Eisenhower and all these presidents and really a capstone of Ronald Reagan peace through strength and building these close alliances. And we are undermining that legacy right now. I'm not interested in a foreign policy that is totally built on realism or transactionalism where it's just what do we have in it for us? I believe in having a foreign policy that's a mix of realism, protecting our country and idealism where we're the leaders standing for freedom, free markets, rule of law and we got it. We got to be clear eyed but also have moral clarity. Putin invaded Ukraine. He's murdered all of us political opponents. He tried to kill a previous Ukrainian prime minister. He's bombing cities. He's ramped up the bombing of cities.

[Political Analyst]

Now I talked about how Gene Stothert, the former mayor, was using all of this MAGA messaging. One mailer from a political action group supporting Stothert grabbed attention for bringing up transgender policies. Stothert brings up the issues in her own television ads all the time. Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys and girls sports. That's one of the things that Stothard was running on, ewing said. Nobody's ever brought that question up. So I believe it's a made up issue by Gene Stothert and the Republican Party that people were not abying these culture war issues. Let me give you some facts about John Ewing Jr. With over four decades of unwavering commitment to public service. John Ewing's extensive background in law enforcement and community involvement has profoundly impacted Omaha. His leadership as Douglas county treasurer and his deep roots in local community service highlights his readiness to serve as your next mayor. Here are some photos of him right here. Here's a that came out from the Nebraska Democrats before the Stothard campaign was running misleading ads regarding John Ewing's record and agenda. While former Mayor Stothert continues to use the same tired Republican playbook to distract voters with culture wars like focusing on bathrooms, John Ewing continues to focus on real issues that impact people's pockets. The endless potholes, the new economic development and housing that will help Omans, not Gene's big donors. Ultimately, Gene would rather focus on potties while John focuses on fixing potholes. Calls under her leadership, the Omaha Police Department has skewed its numbers on new hires. But the bottom line remains Omaha has failed to recruit 100 officers. People were commenting on Jean Stothert's ads. As such, these Jean Stothert ads are laughable. She must be getting desperate with the bathroom and male and women's sports bullshit. What the f does a mayor of Omaha have to do with this? And then as she was getting closer to Election Day, she tried to backtrack and move away from a lot of these Trump messages. I'm not with Trump, but the voters of Omaha, Nebraska were not buying it, folks. They were not buying it at all. So a incredible victory there you see from the Democratic candidate, John Ewing Jr. And again, I think this is a major sign of what's to come across the country. We'll keep you posted with more here on the Midas Touch Network. Thanks for watching.

[Midas Touch Network Host]

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