Gov. Pete Ricketts held a press conference Dec. 22 to announce the appointment of Beau Ballard of Lincoln as the next representative for District 21 in the Nebraska Legislature.

Ballard, a former legislative aide and small business owner, will be sworn in at the start of the 2023 legislative session on Jan. 4 to complete the final two years of Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers’ term.

Hilgers was elected state attorney general in November and has announced that he will resign from the Legislature Jan. 3. Governor-elect Jim Pillen, who also spoke at the press conference, said he interviewed four “incredibly impressive” candidates for the position and chose Ballard based on his knowledge of the district and his “body of work.”

Ballard, who worked in Sen. Hilgers’ office, said he first became active in politics at age 12, knocking doors during his grandfather, James Arthur Jeffers’, campaign for the same legislative seat. Ballard said he looks forward to working with fellow senators in the upcoming session.

“There are a number of exciting opportunities in this new legislative session to make an impact for the state of Nebraska,” he said.

Ballard will be eligible to seek election to the LD21 seat in the November 2024 general election.

This story first appeared in The Unicameral Update, a daily news source produced by the Clerk of the Legislature’s Unicameral Information Office that covers legislative activity, including floor action and committee hearings. For additional coverage, visit update.legislature.ne.gov.