LINCOLN - Kate Bolz, a former state senator who lost a 2020 bid for Congress, will join the Biden administration as Nebraska’s USDA rural development director.

President Joe Biden named Bolz, an aide to Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, to the position Friday, December 17. She will transition to her new job, which will be based in Lincoln, at the beginning of the year, she said.

Gaylor Baird named Bolz her aide for economic development in December 2020, after the two-term state senator was defeated by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in the 1st District House race last year.

Before Election Day, Bolz, a Democrat, was viewed as a serious challenger to Fortenberry, a Republican who has represented the 1st District since 2005. She raised more money than the previous Democratic challengers and garnered high-profile endorsements.

Still, she ended up losing the race by more than 20 percentage points, which led one political observer to conclude that Nebraska’s 1st District — which includes Lincoln and much of eastern Nebraska outside of Douglas County — was not as competitive as Democrats had hoped.

In her new role, Bolz, who grew up on a family farm near Palmyra, will work to improve the quality of life in small Nebraska towns, working on affordable housing, energy programs, and supporting businesses and community facilities through grant and loan programs.

“I’ve genuinely enjoyed working with Leirion Gaylor Baird and serving the Lincoln administration,” she said.

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