With incumbent state senator Tom Brandt set to hit his term limit in 2026, a second candidate has now entered the race to represent Southeast Nebraska in the state senate next year.

Shay Smith officially launched her campaign for the seat in District 32 in next year's election on Thursday evening in Crete.

"I am incredibly excited just for the opportunity to serve, and what that would look like for me, for my friends, for my family, and, mostly, for my community," Smith said Thursday. "This wasn’t something I had planned to do in the last year, this was something I’d been asked to do a number of times, and I answered the call. And now I’m excited to see where it goes."

Raised in Paxton, Smith graduated from Doane and then from UNL's law school, and has worked as a lawyer in Crete for more than 30 years. She's been an integral part of the Crete community specifically, helping craft the city's first economic development plan, spearheading the renovation of the city's movie theatre, and serving as president of Crete's Rotary Club.

She said Thursday that she had never considered running for office until recently, when consistent encouragement from others in her community convinced her she could make a difference.

"One thing that’s been pivotal for me is learning  that I can use my skills and my communication abilities to bridge gaps, and to help people all move in the same direction," she said. "We all want the same things in life: we all want to be able to feed our families, and to live in peace, and to have our own success, whatever that looks like for us. I’ve been able to help people do that in so many ways in the community, and I think those are skills I can take to the Legislature."

Pamphlets at Thursday's events highlighted four of Smith's priorities in her prospective new position: take action on high property taxes; cut healthcare costs; protect constitutional freedoms; and keep ownership of Nebraska land with Nebraska families. 

"We’ve got to have quality local schools, and we’ve got to have access to care for our families, whether that’s mental health care, or child care. If we don’t have those things available in our rural communities, they dwindle," Smith said. "I grew up in Paxton, clear out in western Nebraska, I’m used to small towns. I understand the beauty and the nuance that can come with them. And I want to keep them solid – I want to keep these small towns in District 32 solid."

Smith is declaring for this race as an independent, and said her legal background would help her work with many different kinds of people and help foster unity in the state senate. Tying back into one of her passions, that mantra was symbolized by a station set up at Thursday evening's kickoff event, where attendees could design and sign sections of a quilt that Smith's campaign will stitch together into one large display titled "We The People."

"I have been nonpartisan for a long time, I really see that as a benefit, in this particular district, especially. We’ve got folks that are blue and folks that are red – I'm pretty gray, I’m in the middle. I can talk to everyone, I can understand their perspectives," Smith said. "I think it’s absolutely pivotal to our country right now. If we don’t find ways to bridge these gaps and to stand in the middle as a state and as a nation, we’re going to fail. We have come so far in 250 years – I don’t want to see us lose the momentum and the positivity that comes from working together."  

District 32 covers five counties in Southeast Nebraska: Fillmore, Jefferson, Saline, Thayer, and some of Lancaster. Smith is the second candidate to enter the race for that seat, following Jefferson County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock, who announced his bid back in June.