Republican Peterson easily claims Attorney General office
By Bill Kelly , Senior Producer/Reporter Nebraska Public Media
Nov. 5, 2014, 12:08 p.m. ·
Starting in January, Nebraska will have the first new attorney general since 2003.
Doug Peterson and wife Sandi thank supporters on election night. (Photo by Bill Kelly, NET News)
Lincoln-based lawyer Doug Peterson will replace the man currently in the job, Jon Bruning, who left to launch an unsuccessful run for governor.
It was clear early in the evening Peterson would dominate the race, earning three votes for every one cast for his opponent, Democrat Janet Stewart, a private practice attorney from Fremont.
Peterson’s low-key campaign focused on his promise to de-emphasize politics in the attorney general’s office. He has vowed not to seek any higher elected office while serving as the state’s lead law enforcement officer.
In an interview at his victory celebration in downtown Lincoln, Peterson acknowledged fallout from mismanagement of the state’s prison system will dominant early policy decisions.
He wants the state to reconsider prison programs which could address the problem of Nebraska inmates leaving jail only to end up back in trouble with the law. “We’ve got to reduce the recidivism rate,” Peterson said.
Peterson, 54, was born in Columbus, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He obtained his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. After graduating, Peterson became the deputy county attorney in North Platte. In 1988 he worked with Attorney General Bob Spire as an assistant attorney general specializing in civil cases. He will be leaving his job with a Lincoln law firm where he primarily worked on business, employment, and personal injury cases.