Is Nebraska becoming too conservative for Gen Z?

The other day I saw a campaign video for Jim Pillen, a candidate running for Nebraska governor, on Twitter. 

In the video, he addresses the usual issues that “Cornhusker Conservatives” care about: blue lives matter, gun rights and fighting the “crazy liberals in Washington.”

In the list of responses to the tweet I saw a response from a friend of mine. And why are people leaving Nebraska?” 

Now, this isn’t something we haven’t heard before. 

Since I was a kid, I’ve heard that young people have been leaving Nebraska at an alarming rate. 

People are apparently calling it “brain drain.” According to a KMTV 3 article from March, 2021, it happens because cities have more draw than the smaller towns that make up Nebraska. 

They have more nightlife and more to occupy your time, making the choice to move easy.

According to the Center for Public Affairs, roughly 2,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 have moved out of Nebraska each year because of this supposed “brain drain.”

It’s causing a loss in tax revenue for the state and, as an attempt to fix the damage, colleges like ours are trying to encourage graduates to get jobs in the state.

But maybe it isn’t the nightlife or job opportunities that young people are leaving Nebraska for. 

Maybe it has something to do with the values the state and its representatives hold that is causing the migration.

Our current governor, Pete Ricketts, has been backed by heavily conservative groups, such as the Nebraska Family Alliance, for years. He has stood against policies that promote gender identity equality and women’s reproductive rights. 

On Jan. 28, he supported a proclamation to recognize the pro-life flag in Nebraska. 

Now I’m all for respecting the beliefs of everyone, but I don’t remember him ever recognizing the LGBTQ+ or pro-choice flags. 

But he isn’t the only government official in the state that are pushing conservative views and driving out young, liberal Nebraskans. 

On Jan. 19, Senator Deb Fischer received an A+ rating from the Susan B. Anthony list National Pro-Life Scorecard. She supports passing a bipartisan bill that would prohibit abortions in Nebraska after 15 weeks. 

As a young woman who leans a bit more to the liberal side, it’s concerning to see Pillen, as well as the other candidates with his same values, that are running for governor and higher offices. 

Nebraska is a wonderful state. There aren’t many places left in the world that have so much open space and greenery. 

I’m always amazed by its beauty, and I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to fully explore it all. 

But I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay here when my rights are being put on the line.

I want my friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, who come from a variety of different cultures and are all different races to feel safe here. And if that means I have to move to a city for that to happen, then that’s what I’ll do. 

It’s not the nightlife that’s driving some of use young Nebraskans away from the state, it’s the lack of respect for nontraditional values that is doing it.