LINCOLN- A leading Democrat in the Nebraska Legislature, State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, confirmed Monday that he isn’t running for re-election. Lathrop, a 64-year-old attorney, has served 12 years in the Legislature, returning to the Unicameral in 2018 after sitting out four years because of term limits.

On Monday, he said it was time to “let someone else step in and have an opportunity.”

“It’s a very personal decision,” Lathrop said. “I’ve been doing it for 12 years. That is a long time. It’s a lot of sacrifices to come down here...I’m looking forward to going back to the office, maybe taking a few more trips and spending some more time on my pastimes,” he said.

Lathrop, who chairs the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, has been a lead senator on issues surrounding the state’s overcrowded state prison system. He has been involved in several of the major compromises struck in the Legislature and has several times been mentioned as a candidate for higher office.

The senator, who represents a district that includes the Ralston and Millard areas, has also expressed frustration about the growing partisan divide in the 49-seat Unicameral Legislature, compared to his first eight years in office, from 2006 to 2014. Lathrop is part of a group of moderates, both Republicans and Democrats, who have worked across the aisle on issues.

The day after Lathrop's announcement, Former State Sen. Merv Riepe, 79, made his intentions known that he would seek his old seat again. Riepe, a Republican, previously served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2014 to 2018 but lost to Sen. Lathrop. Robin Richards, a fellow Ralston Board of Education member along with Riepe announced her candidacy, as did current union leader Bob Borgeson.

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