Beau Ballard

Beau Ballard (born May 5, 1994) is a member of the Nebraska Legislature from Lincoln, Nebraska, in District 21 who was appointed by Governor Pete Ricketts in consultation with incoming Governor Jim Pillen to fill the seat of former Senator Mike Hilgers who was elected Nebraska Attorney General. Ballard was a former legislative aide in the office of Senator Hilgers for five years prior to his appointment.

Early life Beau was raised in the small town of Raymond, Nebraska, located about twenty minutes north of Lincoln, Nebraska, the Capital City. His family owns and operates James Arthur Vineyards, Nebraska's largest winery.

Ballard graduated from Parkview Christian High School in Lincoln before attending Colorado Christian University in Denver, Colorado where he obtained Business Finance and Political Science Degree. Ballard returned to southeast Nebraska to attend the University of Nebraska Lincoln, receiving a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.

Business Career

Ballard is the owner and founder of two small businesses in Lincoln, BJB Strategies and the Rabbit Hole Bakery. In 2021, he was honored by the Lincoln Independent Business Association with a Young Business Leader of the Year award.

Nebraska State Legislature (2023-present)

Appointment Ballard was appointed by outgoing governor Ricketts after Mike Hilgers won election to become Nebraska Attorney General. Ballard was a former legislative aide in the office of Senator Hilgers for five years prior to his appointment.

In the primary he ran against Seth Derner and Bryan Paseka. He got first place with 3,829 votes (54.3%), with Seth Derner getting 2,136 votes (30.3%), and Bryan Paseka getting 1,087 votes (15.4%) Because Nebraska's primaries are non-partisan the top two vote-getters go on to face each other in the general election.

Ballard would go on to win the general election. He received 9,509 votes (55.3%), while Derner received 7,689 votes (44.7%).

Tenure

As of 2025, Beau Ballard serves as the Chairperson on the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee, Vice Chairperson on the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, and member on the standing committee for Health and Human Services. He is also a member of the Reference committee, Executive Board, and special committee for Statewide Tourism And Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability.

District 21 of Nebraska's Legislative District includes the northwest portion of Lincoln, Nebraska and the towns of Malcolm, Raymond, Davey, and Waverly.

Resolutions As of Summer of 2025, Ballard has several Legislative Resolutions that have been referred to committees for review:

Legislative Resolution 211, Interim study to examine the statewide availability of assisted-living memory care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia and the accessibility of this type of care for medicaid beneficiaries. The resolution has been referred to the Health and Human Services Committee.

Legislative Resolution 176, Interim study to examine the Nebraska Right to Farm Act in comparison to similar laws in other states that rely on agriculture and recruitment of agriculture-related businesses as a significant portion of the economy. This resolution has been referred to the Agriculture Committee.

Legislative Resolution 175, Interim study to determine the impact on commerce, commercial and economic activity, and the community by having a United States Postal Service office in the West Haymarket area of downtown Lincoln. This resolution has been referred to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.

Legislative Resolution 442, Interim study to examine the scope and function of the Nebraska Health Information Initiative and its affiliates in Nebraska. This resolution has been referred to the Health and Human Services Committee.

Political positions

LGBTQA+ Ballard is against allowing gender affirming surgery for minors. He is also against trans students playing in boy/girls sports that do not match with gender assigned at birth.

Gambling Ballard is for online sports betting, but does believe safety measures need to be included to help those with gambling addiction.

Property Taxes Ballard has stated that one of his main three goals while in the legislature is to improve property taxes.

Insurance Ballard introduced the Pet Insurance Act, which was passed in the Unicameral. The bill outlines regulations for pet insurance policies in Nebraska.

Housing Ballard believes in reducing regulations to make housing more affordable to build along with investing in funding for middle class housing.

Infrastructure Ballard would like to address finishing the East Beltway, investing in new water infrastructure for the city of Lincoln and surrounding areas, and bringing high-speed broadband to rural communities.

Electoral history 2024 election