LINCOLN — A Lincoln entrepreneur born and raised in Auburn announced his 2026 candidacy Wednesday for an open seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

Brent Comstock, 29, is the CEO of the Lincoln-based marketing firm BCom, which he started a decade ago, after having thought up the idea for the business while he was in school. The District 1 seat Comstock is running for is held by Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, who told the Lincoln Journal Star in April that he would not seek a fourth six-year term next year.

NU Board of Regents District 1 includes the northern half of Lincoln, as well as the surrounding communities of Emerald, Malcolm, Agnew, Raymond and Davey.

Comstock said it’s important to preserve Clare’s legacy of being principled and that he hopes to continue Clare’s ability to bring all Nebraskans to the table.

“With the current political climate and the current budget environment, I think the next decade is going to shape how future generations choose to work and live here in the state,” Comstock told the Nebraska Examiner. “All of that future depends on a strong, forward-thinking university system that brings everyone to the table and recognizes that every Nebraskan is impacted by what happens through the university system.”

Comstock said NU is the “most important public institution in the state,” from Nebraska Extension and 4-H in rural communities to degree programs across NU campuses and world-class research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“I think it touches every person in Nebraska,” Comstock said.

‘Education, Opportunity And Progress’

Comstock, the son of a plumber and a former special education teacher, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He said he made his own college decision similar to other small town Nebraska kids: on finances, dreams and aspirations.

A scholarship made it more economically viable to go to school in North Carolina, Comstock said he returned home and invested in BCom, which partners with start-up companies, a bipartisan group of candidates and other causes or organizations.

Comstock’s campaign announcement included endorsements from Nebaskans such as Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, NU Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, former State Sens. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln and Matt Williams of Gothenburg, former University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor James Moeser and former U.S. Sens. Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson, both of whom also served Nebraska as governor.

In a statement, Gaylor Baird said Comstock “helped put Lincoln on the map” and has played a key role in shaping Lincoln’s “growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.” He lives and works in the downtown and Haymarket space in Lincoln.

“Brent understands that the success of the university and the success of Lincoln are deeply connected. He brings people together — across politics, industries and generations — to focus on what really matters: education, opportunity and progress,” Gaylor Baird said. “He’s exactly the kind of regent we need right now.”

Jeff Raikes, the former Microsoft executive and Nebraska native who co-founded the Raikes Foundation, also endorsed Comstock. The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is named after Raikes, the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Raikes said in a statement that Comstock understands that NU “is not only a world-class institution, but also a vital economic engine for our state.”

“His ability to work across sectors and across the aisle makes him exactly the kind of regent we need to lead with vision, integrity and purpose,” Raikes said.

New District Boundaries

Clare ran unopposed in 2014 and 2020 and won in 2008 with 58% of the vote. New district boundaries took effect in 2021 and match those of the State Board of Education District 1, which in November elected newcomer Kristin Christensen.

Races for the education boards are officially nonpartisan, and Comstock is a registered nonpartisan, while Clare is a registered Republican and Christensen is a registered Democrat. Christensen won with 58% of the vote in a highly watched election in November, succeeding former State Board of Education member Patsy Koch Johns, a Democrat first elected in 2016.

Comstock said that while he would bring a “fresh perspective,” he also brings a decade of leadership in building a company in the Cornhusker State.

“I told people, if I were ever to seek elected office, I would want it to be in a place that we can make impact that touches as many people as possible,” Comstock said. “I think that this is the moment to do that.”

The top two vote-getters in May 2026 will advance to the November 2026 election.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/04/lincoln-entrepreneur-running-for...