Kevin Pflager Wins Bellevue Mayoral Race
Pflager defeats eight-year incumbent Rusty Hike in the nonpartisan Bellevue mayoral election.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Kevin Pflager defeated eight-year incumbent Rusty Hike in the Bellevue mayoral election, receiving 11,305 votes to Hike's 9,585. Pflager won 53.52% of the vote in the race held Tuesday night.
Why it matters
The result ends Hike's tenure as mayor, which began with his first election in 2018 and continued through reelection in 2022. Pflager, a lifelong Bellevue resident and registered Democrat, takes office after a race officially designated nonpartisan.
Pflager received 11,305 votes, or 53.52% of the total, compared with 9,585 for Hike, in a city of over 60,000 residents. Turnout figures and the timeline for any term-limit legislation were not reported.
The players
Kevin Pflager
A lifelong Bellevue resident and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, Pflager is a registered Democrat who won the mayoral seat.
Rusty Hike
A Republican who was first elected mayor of Bellevue in 2018 and served eight years before losing this race.
The details
Pflager said he will prioritize repairing the spine of Bellevue, including Fort Crook Road, Galvin Road and Mission Street, and said he would look to implement term limits. Pflager is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate.
Timeline
2018: Rusty Hike first elected mayor of Bellevue.
2022: Hike wins reelection as mayor.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Bellevue voters elect Kevin Pflager mayor.
Political Context
The result ends the eight-year tenure that began with Rusty Hike's 2018 election, a period that included his 2022 reelection. Pflager's pledge to implement term limits would reshape how future Bellevue mayors serve, a question the nonpartisan race did not resolve.
Pflager's pledged priorities include Fort Crook Road, Galvin Road and Mission Street, which affect commuters across Bellevue. His proposed term limits would apply to future mayoral terms if adopted.
The takeaway
Local races can turn on a single term of incumbency, and voters should track how newly elected officials follow through on pledges such as road repairs and term limits. Residents can compare campaign promises against council actions as the new administration takes shape.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Elections in the Bellevue section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by JournalStar.
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