Democratic candidate for governor Mike Meister may have less name recognition in Nebraska than his running mate, Anne Boyle.

Meister announced on Monday that the former chairwoman of the state Democratic Party had agreed to be his running mate in the race for governor. Boyle said she thought her selection balanced the Democratic ticket -- she is from Omaha, Meister is from Scottsbluff.

Republican Gov. Dave Heineman said after the announcement on Monday that he's not taking the race for granted. Asked if he thought Boyle's selection raised the profile of the Democratic ticket, Heineman said, "the focus is always on the top of the ticket."