faces Democrat Jocelyn Brasher
Incumbent Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, a Republican, is running for reelection against Jocelyn Brasher of Omaha, a Democrat.
An asterisk denotes a question asked ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. The responses below include candidates’ responses to questions ahead of the May 12 primary.
The Candidates
Jocelyn Brasher
Democrat
Jocelyn Brasher of Omaha, 36, is a licensed attorney and former assistant Nebraska attorney general for five years. She earned her law degree from the Creighton University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University.
Mike Hilgers
Republican • Incumbent
Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, 48, is the attorney general for the State of Nebraska (2023-present). He is a former state senator for Legislative District 21 (2017-23), including his final two years as speaker of the Legislature. He earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School after attending Baylor University.
The Issues
Reason for Running
What should voters know about you and why you are running for this position? What is one interesting fact about yourself?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
I’m a lifelong Nebraskan who has dedicated the majority of my career to public service and protecting people. I served as an assistant attorney general for five years, where I enforced state and federal consumer protection laws and worked on complex, multistate investigations. I started my career in the Dawson County Attorney’s Office leading their Child Support Enforcement Division. I also served as a deputy Dodge County attorney prosecuting felony and misdemeanor crimes to keep our communities safe. For the past three years, I’ve watched the Attorney General’s Office become increasingly partisan and drift away from its core responsibility to serve the people of Nebraska. I was working in the office when Mike Hilgers was elected in 2022, and I saw firsthand how this critical role was handed over without the level of experience and leadership it demands. I’m running because Nebraskans deserve an attorney general who respects the rule of law, upholds the will of the voters and fights for fairness and accountability. This office should be independent, principled and focused on the people it serves — not politics. That’s the kind of leadership I will bring. One interesting fact about me: I graduated from law school in just 2.5 years while working hands-on in the courtroom as a law clerk in the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Division, including arguing two cases before the Nebraska Court of Appeals as a senior certified law student.
Mike Hilgers (R)
I am running for reelection as Nebraska’s attorney general to continue to fight for Nebraskans. For the last four years, we have been protecting kids, supporting parents, prosecuting criminals, taking on big companies, defending our elections and fighting for our Constitution. I am running to continue that work.
Priorities
What issues would you prioritize if elected (or reelected), and why?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
I will prioritize protecting consumers, strengthening public safety and restoring independence to, and trust in, the Attorney General’s Office. I will serve as an independent watchdog for Nebraska consumers, using our consumer protection and antitrust laws to ensure markets are fair and competitive so life stays affordable for Nebraskans. I will focus on public safety, including addressing online threats by implementing a task force to combat online crimes against children, while ensuring law enforcement has the support they need and is held to high standards by leading by example. I will work every day to serve all Nebraskans by applying the law fairly and consistently and ensuring that the voices of Nebraska voters are respected — not undermined — because these issues directly impact the safety, financial security and trust of Nebraskans in their government.
Mike Hilgers (R)
My priority is to lead the best pound-for-pound law firm in the United States. If reelected, I will continue to fight unaccountable sources of power that seek to control, harm or defraud Nebraskans.
Public Safety*
What should be the role of the Nebraska Attorney General's Office in uplifting public safety, including for children and in fighting human trafficking?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
Public safety must be one of the attorney general’s highest priorities! On day one, I will work to establish the PROTECT Task Force: Protecting Rights Online Through Enforcement, Collaboration and Technology. The PROTECT Task Force will be dedicated to combating online crimes against children in collaboration with law enforcement. Technology and AI are rapidly advancing; and we know children are being targeted, groomed and exploited online. We also know online interactions turn into in-person encounters quickly. Online safety and community safety now go hand-in-hand. We need to make sure law enforcement have the coordination, technology and resources to identify threats early and investigate them effectively. We must take a strong, proactive approach to protecting our children. I believe we need a community-based education approach to human trafficking. Law enforcement isn’t always the first line of defense. Sometimes it is a nurse, hotel employee, neighbor or gas station clerk who first recognizes something is wrong, so we need to educate community members about the signs of trafficking and how they can assist law enforcement. I believe that taking this approach is how we will make progress to fight these crimes so more victims’ lives can be saved, and we can prosecute more human traffickers.
Mike Hilgers (R)
As attorney general, public safety has been at the center of our office’s work. Our office plays a significant role supporting local law enforcement, and we often play the lead role in prosecuting the most heinous crimes that occur in Greater Nebraska, including murders and child sexual assaults. We have had a particular focus on human trafficking and helping children. As attorney general, I have expanded our resources in fighting human trafficking. We have launched an annual summit that brings stakeholders across law enforcement and the nonprofit and business communities together, while continuing to lead the Human Trafficking Task Force. We have worked with our federal and local partners, including as part of a recent sting operation that led to several arrests of those seeking to exploit minors in the Omaha area. Last, we have been a national leader in holding tech companies accountable for exploiting children, including a record-setting $200 million settlement with Meta.
Legal Priorities*
How would you decide which legal action or lawsuits to prioritize at the local, state and federal levels, and why? What bad activity would your office crack down on, and why?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
My starting question would be simple: How would this affect Nebraska or Nebraskans? The attorney general has the power to investigate, prosecute and decide what lawsuits get filed. Those very important decisions should be based on the law and Nebraska’s interests, not national politics or a lobbyist from D.C. calling and asking you to file a case that benefits them. I would be particularly aggressive on issues that affect affordability: illegal price gouging, antitrust violations and corporate consolidation that harms competition and raises costs for Nebraskans. Times are tough for so many people across our state right now. When large corporations illegally manipulate the system and make life more expensive, the attorney general must step in and step up for Nebraskans. I would also prioritize public safety, protecting our children against online crimes and rooting out and prosecuting public corruption. Challenging the federal government can sometimes be necessary, but those circumstances should be limited, and I won’t even begin to speculate on when that might occur because my goal is to prioritize the issues and concerns Nebraskans are facing here at home. Every dollar spent chasing a national political fight is a dollar that could be used here at home protecting Nebraskans.
Mike Hilgers (R)
My legal priorities are determined by the impact on Nebraskans, the strength of the law and the impact our office can have for relief. I’ll always prioritize protecting public safety, defending Nebraska’s laws, stopping consumer fraud and challenging government overreach. Our office has produced results. From stopping California’s illegal electric-truck mandate to protecting farmers and ranchers from the Biden administration’s overreach, we’re focused on taking on issues impacting Nebraskans.
Consumer Protections*
What would you do to help protect Nebraska consumers from deceptive, fraudulent or unfair business practices?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
Consumer protection is important for me because I spent five years as an assistant Nebraska attorney general in the Consumer Protection Bureau, fighting for Nebraskans and holding corporate predators accountable. I have done this work before, I know how to do it and protecting consumers will be a central mission of my office. My approach to consumer protection enforcement will be: trust but verify. Businesses should have the opportunity to operate and succeed. But consumers also deserve transparency. They should be able to trust the businesses they deal with, the products they buy and the advertisements they see. When there are allegations of wrongdoing, the Attorney General’s Office should investigate to determine if there is any wrongdoing. If a company is breaking the law or taking advantage of consumers, it’s the attorney general’s job to hold it accountable to protect Nebraska consumers. Consumer protection is also about being proactive; and that means identifying patterns of fraud, educating Nebraskans about emerging scams and making sure people know where to turn when they have been harmed. At its core, consumer protection is about creating trust through transparency, accountability and strong enforcement when businesses do not play by the rules. That’s what I will do as attorney general.
Mike Hilgers (R)
The Attorney General’s Office goes after scammers and fraudsters every day. During my first term, we fought illegal robocalls, sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster over alleged unlawful practices and took action against major corporations that misled consumers or concealed fees. Since 2023, our Consumer Affairs Response Team has recovered more than $3.6 million for Nebraska consumers. I will continue holding bad actors accountable and returning money to the Nebraskans who were harmed.
Separation of Powers*
How do you define separation of powers, and how do you (would you) work within the executive branch and with the legislative and judicial branches?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
Separation of powers means understanding that each branch has its own constitutional role and respecting those boundaries. The legislative branch makes the laws. The executive branch, specifically the attorney general’s role, is to enforce and defend constitutional laws. And the judicial branch interprets the law and determines constitutionality. There is a presumption that laws passed by our Legislature are constitutional. The attorney general can issue legal opinions and provide our state senators guidance on constitutional questions. That helps them understand legal concerns and write laws that our law enforcement can effectively enforce. But it is a fine line. As attorney general, my job will be to provide the legal information legislators need to do their jobs, not tell them what policies to enact. Anything beyond that risks crossing constitutional lines. Legislating from the Attorney General’s Office is unacceptable, and using the power of the office to make law rather than enforce it is unconstitutional and an abuse of power. If the Legislature or Nebraska voters lawfully enact a constitutional law, the attorney general must respect it, enforce it and defend it.
Mike Hilgers (R)
The Constitution divides power amongst the three branches, which is a core bulwark in defense of our freedoms. Each branch must respect the constitutional authority of the other. As Nebraska’s attorney general and chief law enforcement officer, I work with the executive branch to enforce the law and provide legal guidance to state agencies. I work with the Legislature by providing legal guidance and defending the laws it enacts, and I respect the judiciary’s responsibility to independently decide the cases brought before it. The attorney general plays a critical role of enforcing the boundaries between the branches, and given the critical importance that separation plays to our individual freedoms, I will continue to be a defender of this core constitutional principle.
Partisanship
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
While this is a partisan race and I am running as a Democrat, most importantly I am running to restore this office to the independent agency it is meant to be. When elected, I will not serve one party, nor will I bring a political agenda. The everyday issues Nebraskans are facing, like robocalls, affordability and public safety, are not partisan, and they do not discriminate based on party affiliation. As a former assistant attorney general, I have a proven track record of working across party lines with attorneys general and law enforcement partners across the country, and I will bring that same approach and leadership to deliver real, meaningful results for Nebraskans. I will serve all Nebraskans. And while we won’t always agree on every issue, I will always listen, treat people with respect and work to find common ground where possible. That is the standard Nebraskans deserve.
Mike Hilgers (R)
I am a strong believer in the rule of law and our state and federal constitutions. I have a long track record — both as attorney general and previously as speaker — of successfully working with people who hold a variety of ideological views.
Local Issues
What local concerns or issues have you heard from constituents that need to be addressed and why?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
Across Nebraska, I consistently hear concerns about affordability, public safety and trust in government. Families are worried about rising costs, unfair or abusive mergers and consolidations in our marketplaces. In rural communities, I’ve heard concerns about access to resources, economic stability and the impact of major employer changes on local economies. People also want to feel safe, in their neighborhoods and online, and they want to know laws are being enforced fairly and consistently. Another recurring concern I hear is our government leaders have become too concerned with national politics instead of focusing on the issues that matter here at home in Nebraska. Nebraskans want leaders who will put the public interest first, ensure accountability and make clear no one is above the law — including those in positions of power. These issues are extremely important to them because they affect everyday life — from the safety of their streets to their pocketbooks. The attorney general has a direct role in addressing each.
Mike Hilgers (R)
All of the issues we take on have some form of local impact. One additional issue involves the rising number of spam calls and fraudulent text messages. That is why our office has a consumer affairs response team that conducts dozens of trainings a year around the state, takes live calls from constituents and has recovered millions of dollars from Nebraskans since I took office.
Office Role
What qualities define a good attorney general in your view, and how would you meet those?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
A good attorney general is independent, fair and committed to the rule of law. But just as importantly, the attorney general is the leader of the office, responsible for setting the standard, ensuring work is done correctly and being accountable when it is not. The buck stops with the attorney general. This role is too important for missed deadlines, mistakes or lack of leadership. Nebraskans deserve an attorney general who is ready to lead on day one. I bring the institutional knowledge, experience, sound judgment and honest leadership needed to run the Attorney General’s Office with efficiency, integrity and tenacity. I understand how the office operates, where it can be strengthened and how to ensure it delivers real, meaningful results for Nebraskans.
Mike Hilgers (R)
I think a wide variety of qualities are important. Among them are the ability to run a large law office — the Nebraska attorney general manages over 100 employees. As a former entrepreneur who built a law firm of a similar size, I have been equipped to run the office from Day 1. In addition, handling in-depth complex litigation (which I did for well over a decade before becoming AG), and working with the Legislature (I served previously as the speaker of the Legislature), are both critical skills for this particular role.
Constituent Engagement*
Do you commit to continue engaging with constituents and hearing feedback from them after the election? If so, how would you do so?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
Absolutely. I have learned so much by listening to voters, and that should not stop after you’re elected. As attorney general, I will maintain open communication with constituents and community leaders. The only way to effectively represent the people is to understand how they want to be represented. We will not agree on every issue, but we must always work to find common ground, and we do that by having conversations. Engagement also means transparency. Mike Hilgers has filed lawsuits and settled cases without telling Nebraskans. Hilgers broke with the Trump administration earlier this year and sued the U.S. DOJ and DEA over federal cannabis rescheduling, and he did not issue a press release about the lawsuit. That’s not acceptable. Whether people agree with a lawsuit, they deserve to know it was filed, and why. To provide transparency, I will issue a press release for every lawsuit filed and settlement entered. To the extent legally possible, I will provide quarterly reporting on consumer protection investigations. When constituents know what’s going on, they’re able to provide feedback. If they don’t know, they can’t. This job is about serving the people. That means listening to your constituents, truly representing them by respecting what they voted for, and being transparent.
Mike Hilgers (R)
As an elected official, I work for the people of Nebraska. It is my responsibility to listen and work for the people of our state. I will continue travelling across the state and meeting directly with families, business owners, law enforcement officers, county attorneys and community leaders. We have expanded the attorney general’s presence by opening a satellite office in Ogallala, and our Consumer Affairs Response Team provides one-on-one assistance to Nebraskans dealing with scams and unfair business practices. In addition, I extensively travel Nebraska. In my first year, I met with law enforcement from all 93 counties. In each year since, we have held regional law enforcement meetings.
Closing Message*
What is one thing that makes you stand out as the right person for the job?
Jocelyn Brasher (D)
I have vowed NOT to take corporate PAC money because I don’t want Nebraskans to have to question who I’m working for. Mike Hilgers takes a lot of money from corporate donors. The attorney general works for you, NOT a political party, the governor or big corporate donors. We know what four more years of Mike Hilgers looks like: fighting Nebraskans to overturn election results he doesn’t agree with, and using taxpayer dollars to do it, because he thinks he knows better than you. If we want real change in Nebraska, we must elect a new attorney general. I have done the work of this office and understand both its enormous power and how much good it can do when that power is focused on Nebraskans. I’m a former prosecutor and assistant Nebraska attorney general. I have spent most of my career fighting for Nebraskans, advocating for children and families, prosecuting criminals, holding corporate predators accountable and getting money back for this state and into consumers’ pockets. Unlike my opponent, I’m not a career politician. I’m a dedicated public servant. I will be the people’s lawyer, and that means upholding the law and the will of the people.
Mike Hilgers (R)
During my first term, we built the best pound-for-pound Attorney General’s Office in the country. We have defended Nebraskans’ constitutional rights, protected children, challenged government overreach, stood up for farmers, safeguarded our water rights and recovered millions of dollars from scammers. For four years, we have gone to work every day for the people of Nebraska. I am asking Nebraskans for their continued trust so we can build on our record of success and keep addressing the issues that matter most to Nebraskans.
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