Disclosure: Oversight Justice is owned by David Mitchell, who founded the site and also owns Gamers Hub LLC, which operates as Go Gamers. Mitchell sued Douglas County, the City of Omaha, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and others in federal court (Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 8:23-cv-00332, D. Neb.). The court dismissed the suit on April 12, 2024, on several grounds, including immunity and failure to state a claim; the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Feb. 5, 2025.
OMAHA — Omaha city prosecutor Makayla Danner, a Democrat, defeated longtime Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, a Republican, in the Nov. 3 general election, according to unofficial results from the Douglas County Election Commission.
These results are unofficial. The Election Commission says it will canvass the election and make it official on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026.
Danner had 110,063 votes to Kleine’s 98,134, a margin of 11,929 votes, according to the county’s final Election Night release, early Wednesday. By Oversight Justice’s calculation, that is about 52.8% to 47.1% of the 208,462 votes cast in the race. Another 265 votes went to write-in candidates.
If the canvass confirms the unofficial results, they would end a tenure that began in 2007. Kleine, 73, was seeking a sixth term, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
How the night unfolded
Danner was ahead in every Election Night release the commission posted. In that final Election Night report, 213,927 ballots had been cast countywide.
Kleine reacted to the results in remarks to WOWT as returns came in Tuesday night. “I’m, of course, disappointed, but, you know, we had a great… I’m very proud, and it’s really a privilege to serve in the job of county attorney,” he said. “And I wish the people of Omaha the best.”
The World-Herald described the outcome as an upset that “reflected the frustrations of some voters against incumbents.”
The sheriff’s race also flipped, according to unofficial results
The county’s other top law enforcement office is also set to change hands, according to the same unofficial report: Democratic challenger Mark Martinez led Republican Sheriff Aaron Hanson 112,599 votes to 93,859, with 271 write-ins. By Oversight Justice’s calculation, that is about 54.5% to 45.4% of the votes cast in the race.
Martinez told WOWT that Hanson called him Tuesday night to congratulate him and said he “looks forward to working with me in the transition.” Martinez said he plans to review the agency’s core missions with senior staff and deputies, including its work on noncompliant sex offenders, and to rebuild relationships with the Omaha Police Department and the Douglas County Correctional Facility. “If we need to fix things, we fix them,” he said.
Who is Makayla Danner?
Danner, 50, is an Omaha city prosecutor, the World-Herald reported. She ran on changing how the County Attorney’s Office operates under Kleine’s leadership, the World-Herald reported. She said she would put more of the office’s focus on community outreach while promising to continue prosecuting violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law, the World-Herald reported.
Her endorsements included Omaha Mayor John Ewing, former U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love Jr. and Omaha City Council Member LaVonya Goodwin, the World-Herald reported.
Her path ran through a competitive primary. On May 12, Danner defeated Amy Jacobsen, whom the World-Herald identified as a former deputy Douglas County attorney, for the Democratic nomination, 27,666 votes (52.2%) to 25,142 (47.4%), with 218 write-ins, according to the Douglas County Election Commission’s official primary results. Kleine had no opponent in the Republican primary.
Kleine’s record
Kleine was a Democrat for most of his career and formally joined the Republican Party in 2020, WOWT reported. He first won the office in 2006 by narrowly defeating Stu Dornan and was reelected easily in 2010 and 2014, according to KMTV 3 News Now.
In 2018 he ran unopposed as a Democrat and received 152,893 votes, 96.95% of the total, with the rest going to write-ins, according to the Election Commission’s official 2018 summary. In 2022, running for the first time as a Republican, he defeated Democrat Dave Pantos 107,490 (56.9%) to 81,287 (43.0%), with 272 write-ins, according to the Election Commission’s official results.
During the campaign, Kleine pointed to his office’s convictions in some of the county’s most notorious violent cases, including those of Nikko Jenkins, Anthony Garcia, Roy Ellis and, more recently, Erika Mims, the World-Herald reported. His latest term coincided with a record drop in homicides recorded by the Omaha Police Department in 2024, the paper reported. He promised to keep “a steady hand” and to work with community organizations to help people with addiction, according to the World-Herald.
Kleine had strong support from law enforcement, the World-Herald reported: his backers included Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, the Omaha Police Officers Association and Nebraska’s top elected Republicans. Longtime Douglas County Public Defender Tom Riley, a Democrat, crossed party lines to endorse him, the paper reported.
The bigger picture
In 2018 Kleine faced no ballot opponent. In 2022, after switching parties, he won by nearly 14 points, by Oversight Justice’s calculation from county results. This year, by the same calculation, Danner leads him by about 5.7 points in the unofficial results.
As of Oct. 27, Douglas County had 135,191 registered Democrats, 128,539 Republicans and 97,401 nonpartisan voters, according to the Election Commission.
What happens next
- Canvass. The Election Commission says it will canvass the election and make it official on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026.
- Swearing-in. The Nebraska Constitution (Art. XVII, § 5) says elected officers’ terms begin on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in January. That date is Jan. 7, 2027, when Kleine’s current term ends and, if the canvass confirms the unofficial results, Danner’s begins.
If the unofficial results hold, Danner takes over an office that prosecutes felony crimes in Douglas County, which the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate shows is Nebraska’s largest county by population. Her term would begin Jan. 7, 2027.
Disclosure: Oversight Justice is owned by David Mitchell, who founded the site and also owns Gamers Hub LLC, which operates as Go Gamers. Mitchell sued Douglas County, the City of Omaha, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and others in federal court (Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 8:23-cv-00332, D. Neb.). The court dismissed the suit on April 12, 2024, on several grounds, including immunity and failure to state a claim; the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Feb. 5, 2025.
Sources
- Douglas County Election Commission, “Summary Results Report — UNOFFICIAL RESULTS, 2026 General Election,” generated 11/04/2026 12:51 a.m.: https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/meer/26GNResults6.pdf; index page (release list; Nov. 19 canvass statement): https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/meer/index.aspx
- WOWT, “Election 2026: Kleine, Hanson fall behind in Douglas County Attorney, Sheriff races,” Nov. 4, 2026: https://www.wowt.com/2026/11/04/election-2026-kleine-hanson-fall-behind-douglas-county-attorney-sheriff-races/
- Dan Crisler, Omaha World-Herald, “Makayla Danner defeats incumbent Don Kleine in Douglas County attorney race,” Nov. 4, 2026: https://theindependent.com/news/state-regional/nebraska/article_88d439d4-2a3c-51e3-84f5-87165cdf333f.html
- Douglas County Election Commission, 2026 Primary official summary: https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/elections/2026/Primary/26PRResultsSummary.pdf
- Douglas County Election Commission, 2018 General official summary: https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/elections/2018/General/GN18ResultsSummary.htm
- Douglas County Election Commission, 2022 General official summary: https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/elections/2022/General/GN22ResultsSummary.pdf
- KMTV 3 News Now, “Douglas County Attorney launches re-election bid”: https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/douglas-county-attorney-launches-re-election-bid
- Neb. Const. Art. XVII, § 5: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=XVII-5
- Douglas County Election Commission home (registration counts as of 10/27/2026): https://www.votedouglascounty-ne.gov/
- Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 8:23-cv-00332 (D. Neb.), Memorandum and Order, April 12, 2024 (Doc 44): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ned-8_23-cv-00332/pdf/USCOURTS-ned-8_23-cv-00332-1.pdf
- Mitchell v. County of Douglas, No. 24-1839 (8th Cir. Feb. 5, 2025): https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/25/02/241839U.pdf
- Douglas County Attorney’s Office, “Mobile DC Attorney” page (Kleine began service in 2007): https://countyattorney.douglascounty-ne.gov/mobile-dc-attorney
- U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Douglas and Lancaster Counties, Nebraska (population estimates, July 1, 2025): https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/douglascountynebraska,lancastercountynebraska/PST045224
- Douglas County Attorney’s Office, Criminal Division page: https://countyattorney.douglascounty-ne.gov/criminal-division
About the owner: Oversight Justice is owned by David Mitchell, an Omaha business owner. Read his sourced profile.
