Enven wins Republican primary for Nebraska Secretary of State

Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen has won the Republican nomination to replace outgoing Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale.

Evnen's victory on Tuesday sets him up to face Democrat Spencer Danner, an underdog in GOP-dominated Nebraska. Gale is not seeking re-election.

Evnen defeated fellow Republican Debra Perrell, an administrative assistant from Hershey who hasn't raised enough money to trigger state reporting requirements. Evnen enters the general election with nearly $113,000 in cash on hand as of last month.

Evnen has pitched himself as a conservative who supports voter identification laws, which lawmakers have not passed.

Evnen spent eight years on the Nebraska State Board of Education and was actively involved in the campaign to reinstate the death penalty after lawmakers abolished the punishment in 2015.