2026 midterms · State
Nebraska
Primary May 12, 2026 · general election Nov 3, 2026
- races
- 5
- candidates listed
- 9
- statements classified
- 64,982
Nebraska 2nd District
The closest rating in Nebraska: an open seat, now held by Republicans. Cook Political Report ratings, entered by the lab.
Statewide races
A Senate race and a governor’s race are on the 2026 ballot. Once a primary is called, only the candidates recorded as advancing are listed; before that, everyone running.
Each race links to its own page: the candidates, what they say and the money they report. Cook Political Report ratings, entered by the lab (last updated by the lab on Jun 24, 2026); a forecaster’s judgement about the general election, not the lab’s.
Senate
Primary called
Democrats
None recorded as advancing
Republicans
- Pete RickettsRIncumbent · advanced · official profile
Governor
Solid RPrimary called
Democrats
- Lynne WalzDChallenger · advanced
Republicans
- Jim PillenRIncumbent · advanced · official profile
House races
Three House races, all with a recorded primary result.
House districts follow the candidates’ FEC filings. Where a state redrew its map for 2026, a few candidates may still appear under their old district number.
1st District
Primary called
Democrats
- Christopher BackemeyerDChallenger · advanced
Republicans
- Mike FloodRIncumbent · advanced · official profile
2nd District
Lean DPrimary called
Democrats
- Denise PowellDOpen seat · advanced
Republicans
- Brinker HardingROpen seat · advanced
3rd District
Primary called
Democrats
- Becky StilleDChallenger · advanced
Republicans
- Adrian SmithRIncumbent · advanced · official profile
What the candidates say
10 of Nebraska’s 10 candidates have 10 or more classified statements. Nine have 50 or more and are ranked against candidates nationwide.
An AI model reads each statement and marks the kinds of statement it contains; a candidate’s rate is the share of their statements with that label. Incumbent members of Congress are measured on everything they publish in office, everyone else on posts on X. A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.
How do Nebraska’s candidates compare?
Share of each candidate’s statements with each label; sort by any column
| Pete Ricketts | R | Senate | Incumbent | 5,876 | 1.2% | 22% | 64% | 6.8% | 25% |
| Lynne Walz | D | Governor | Challenger | 260 | 3.5% | 8.5% | 23% | 8.1% | 3.9% |
| Jim Pillen | R | Governor | Incumbent | 232 | 0% | 3.0% | 52% | 1.7% | 38% |
| Christopher Backemeyer | D | 1st District | Challenger | 338 | 7.1% | 31% | 49% | 1.5% | 2.7% |
| Mike Flood | R | 1st District | Incumbent | 3,456 | 0.5% | 18% | 58% | 8.6% | 22% |