Tony Vargas

Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in New York City, who were originally from Peru. He was the youngest of three brothers.[1] He graduated from the University of Rochester and received a MS in education from Pace University. Vargas taught in New York City before moving to Nebraska.[2]

Vargas was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member. In 2016 he ran for the Legislature against incumbent Nicole Fox. Fox, a Republican, finished third in the nonpartisan primary, which saw Vargas and former senator John Synowiecki advance to the general election.[3][4][5][6][7] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He is the first outright elected Hispanic legislator in Nebraska.

Vargas was selected as a Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments (CSG). In 2018, Vargas was one of 59 individuals selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a national leadership program championed and led by President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. In 2017, Vargas was selected by the Omaha Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO) and by the United States Junior Chamber as a Top Outstanding Young American (TOYA).

Vargas is married to his wife Lauren. He is a Catholic and resides in the Little Italy neighborhood of Omaha.[2]

Tony Vargas serves on the Appropriations committee. In 2019, Vargas was elected by his peers to the position of Vice Chair of the Executive Board, the administrative arm of the Legislature. He also was elected chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee.