Krystal Gabel

Krystal Gabel (born October 14, 1984) is an American cannabis rights activist, perennial candidate, and writer. Gabel, a candidate for governor of Nebraska in the 2018 election, at age 33 was the youngest of a record number of women who ran for governorships, nationally. In 2020, Gabel ran for Nebraska Public Service Commission in the Republican primary.

Gabel led a successful petition drive to acquire ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party branch. A resident of Brush, Colorado, Gabel was a candidate for mayor of Brush, in 2021, and for Brush City Council, in 2023. In order to make the ballot, they needed 5,397 signatures statewide. In July 2016, the party turned in 9,000 signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, falling short of the 5,397 needed.

In 2016, Gabel and Mark Elworth changed the name of the Nebraska party to Legal Marijuana NOW, and in September 2016, began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access. They said the organization planned to collect double the number of signatures they submitted in 2016, to ensure their success.

Independent candidate Gabel ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for Omaha Public School Board, in 2016, and for mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2019.

In 2016, Gabel placed third out of four candidates in the race for two seats on the Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District, 1.2 percent short of winning. And in 2017, placed third in the primary for Omaha City Council, 143 votes away from making it to the general election.

Republican gubernatorial candidate In 2018, Gabel ran for governor of Nebraska as a Republican. She ran on a fiscally conservative platform that included the legalization of marijuana. Gabel's campaign to unseat Governor Pete Ricketts drew attention from outside Nebraska because United States Republican Party candidates, in 2018, rarely supported drug law reform. Gabel said she chose to run in the primary as a Republican because the signature requirement for running in the general election as an independent candidate was infeasible for people of working-class means, such as herself.

2020s career Nebraska Republican Party Gabel ran for Nebraska Public Service Commission, in 2020, and was defeated in the Republican primary. She received 7,165 votes, 45 percent.

Legal Marijuana Now Party On April 21, 2021, Legal Marijuana NOW gained official recognition as a state political party in Nebraska, earning the party ballot access for their candidates, and allowing Legal Marijuana NOW Party to register voters. Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party had previously qualified to be an official major party in the state of Minnesota in the November 6, 2018, election, when their candidate for State Auditor received more than 5 percent. Gabel, who had been national chairperson of the Legal Marijuana Now Party from 2021 to 2023,

Colorado independent candidate Gabel ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Brush, Colorado in 2021, and for Ward 3 Brush City Council, in 2023.

While campaigning in September, 2023, Gabel was involved in a confrontation with another resident. Brush Police Department Cadet Raymond Wells, who was called to the scene, defused the situation, and ultimately no criminal charges were filed in the incident. Gabel and the neighbor mutually agreed to avoid each other, going forward.

Political views Civil rights Gabel supports legalized marijuana for medical and non-medical use. In 2017, while campaigning for governor, Gabel said, “I believe … current Governor Pete Ricketts is wrongly criminalizing cannabis and ruining the entire lives of many Nebraskans. … I want to be elected so that our state's politics and laws serve Nebraskans and protect their rights, not criminalize or prevent them from living a good life.” She supports laws protecting LGBTQ rights. She argued revenue from industrial hemp production and new industries created serving cannabis consumers would spur the economy.

Education Gabel opposes school choice, saying it harms public education. Gabel supports broad K–12 and higher education funding, calling it a wise investment. In 2018, she said, “If the state doesn't readjust its budget to fully fund our public schools, our school districts will fail, students and taxpayers will pay more for education, and our college towns will turn into ghost towns. I strongly believe Nebraska's tax dollars should go directly into front-end investments that give Nebraskans better opportunities.” Her opponent in the 2018 election, Governor Ricketts, opposed allowing hemp farming in the state, and instead supported Nebraska's current, university-based hemp research. Gabel favors rewriting zoning laws that discourage tiny homes, supports use of electric vehicles, proposes a system of heated streets using power plant waste water, believes free city bus services would stimulate job creation.

Healthcare Gabel supports affordable healthcare, improved domestic violence services, health insurance reform.

Gabel grew up in Akron, Iowa, lived in Nebraska during the 2010s, and moved to Colorado in 2020.

Political candidacy Gabel has run several times for various offices, including: Omaha Public School Board, Subdistrict 1, and Metropolitan Utilities District, in 2016 Omaha City Council, District 2, in 2017 Governor of Nebraska in 2018 Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2019 Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 2, in 2020 Mayor of Brush, Colorado, in 2021 Brush City Council, Ward 3, in 2023