Omaha, NE – Today, Tracy Hightower-Henne launched her campaign to represent District 13 in the Nebraska Legislature. An attorney and community activist, Hightower-Henne has been an advocate for equal access to justice and reproductive freedom.

As a state senator, Tracy will continue that fight and work to strengthen our community through investing in public schools, creating better paying jobs, and keeping the cost of housing affordable.

“We are at a critical juncture in our state’s history. It is time for new leaders to step up and fight for the future of our communities and our neighbors, to ensure that every Nebraskan has the opportunity to thrive and experience equality before the law. I am proud to stand with the people of Nebraska and I am ready to fight for their rights and freedoms,” Tracy said.

With a successful career in law as a partner attorney at Hightower Reff Law in Omaha, Tracy brings a wealth of experience to the table. She has also served as the past Executive Director of the Nebraska Innocence Project, where she fought tirelessly for the rights of the wrongly convicted. Tracy has a passion for advocacy and has demonstrated this through her role as the Board Chair of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska. She is a proud alum of several prestigious organizations, including the Top Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO), Midland's Business Journal 40 Under 40, New Leaders Council, and the Nebraska State Bar Association Leadership Academy. 

Hightower-Henne is running for Legislature in District 13, which includes parts of northeast and north central Omaha. Incumbent Senator Justin Wayne has served for eight years and is now termed out, which leaves an open seat in 2024.

About Tracy

Tracy Hightower-Henne is an attorney and community activist who has been an advocate for reproductive freedom and equal access to justice. With a passion for community service and a commitment to making a positive impact, Tracy is eager to represent her neighbors in District 13. 

Tracy’s deep commitment to justice and her desire to help others is what drove her to become a lawyer. After graduating from law school and working in the corporate world, she became a volunteer with the Nebraska Innocence Project. This transformative experience opened her eyes to the opportunities available to assist people in the community who needed legal representation and in 2008, in the middle of a huge recession, she decided to leave corporate law to open her own firm.

Tracy took every opportunity she could to learn from others to become a better lawyer, sitting in traffic court to represent people who didn't have representation and signing up to be a court appointed juvenile attorney, where she helped parents and children navigate the juvenile court system to bring their families back together. She continued to work with the Nebraska Innocence Project, eventually becoming their Executive Director, and she continues to volunteer at Legal Aid clinics.

In 2012, she co-founded Hightower Reff Law, which has been recognized for exceptional work in the legal profession and in the broader Omaha community for their commitment to pro bono work. Tracy and her law partner, Susan Reff, believe that lawyers have an ethical duty to provide free legal representation as part of their regular practice for low-income individuals who are disproportionately negatively affected by the law. In 2021, Hightower Reff Law won Legal Aid of Nebraska’s Equal Justice Award in recognition of their efforts to ensure low-income individuals receive high quality legal representation during some of the toughest times of their lives.

Tracy is also currently the Board Chair of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, where she helps raise money, plan events, and advocate to lawmakers in support of their work to provide reproductive and family planning care to Nebraskans.

Tracy believes that we are at a critical juncture in our state's history and that we must step up and fight for the future of our communities and our neighbors. Every Nebraskan deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that can only happen with strong, well-funded schools, better paying jobs, housing that is affordable for working families, and affordable and accessible healthcare for everyone.

Tracy's desire to continue this advocacy work for our community and her experience fighting for Nebraskans from all walks of life has driven her to run for office herself, to represent our neighbors in Legislative District 13. Tracy understands the challenges facing our community and is ready to tackle them head on.

Tracy is a current member of the Women’s Fund Circles Class 9, the Nebraska State Bar Association’s (NSBA) Legislation Committee, the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Omaha Bar Association and is on the executive committee for Women in the Law, a section of the NSBA. She is a proud alumna of Omaha’s New Leader Council, the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy. She was proud to be included in Midlands Business Journal 40 Under 40 in 2018 and to be selected by the Omaha Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans in 2020. Tracy also enjoys being a mentor to her little sister through Big Brother Big Sisters of the Midlands.

Tracy is a proud alum of Burke High School, Doane College, and Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she earned a law degree and an advanced Master's Degree in tax law. She and her husband, Tom, live in northeast Omaha, where they enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling and watching documentaries together.

For more information on Tracy’s campaign, visit TracyforNebraska.com.