Macey Budke

Macey Budke

Independent

Candidate, U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Macey Budke (independent) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District. Budke declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.

Budke completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2026

See also: Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 12, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Macey Budke (Independent) and Mark Cohen (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Macey Budke (Independent)
		Mark Cohen (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Becky Lynn Stille (D) is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 12, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Becky Lynn Stille

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith (R) and David Huebner (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 12, 2026.

		Candidate
		Adrian Smith
		David Huebner

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Macey Budke completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Budke's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Macey Budke, an Independent candidate for Congress from North Platte. I grew up in rural Nebraska and now work in behavioral health management, helping rural communities access quality care. I hold master’s degrees in psychology and healthcare administration and have a record of solving practical problems. I’m running to bring commonsense leadership to Washington—focused on rural healthcare, schools, and agriculture—not partisan divides.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Washington is stuck in constant partisan fighting, and rural Nebraska pays the price. I’m running as an Independent because our district needs a representative who answers to people, not political parties. I will work with anyone willing to solve problems and put practical results ahead of ideology.
• Rural healthcare is in crisis, and communities across District 3 feel it every day. Hospitals are closing, mental health services are stretched thin, and families are traveling farther for care. With my background in healthcare administration, I will fight for policies that keep local clinics open, expand access, and lower costs for Nebraska families.
• Strong communities depend on strong schools, agriculture, and accountable leadership. I will support public education, stand up for Nebraska farmers and ranchers, and defend the freedoms that make rural life possible. Congress should focus on real solutions that help working families, not political theater.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m most passionate about policies that strengthen rural Nebraska—especially healthcare, education, and agriculture. Rural communities deserve affordable, accessible healthcare close to home. Our public schools need strong support so every child has real opportunity. Farmers and ranchers need fair markets and practical policies that protect their livelihoods. I also care deeply about responsible government, economic opportunity, and making sure federal decisions actually reflect the needs of everyday Nebraskans.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Macey Budke campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Nebraska District 3	Candidacy Declared general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Footnotes

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Nebraska's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Deb Fischer (R)

Pete Ricketts (R)

Representatives

District 1

Mike Flood (R)

District 2

Don Bacon (R)

District 3

Adrian Smith (R)

Republican Party (5)