Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Republican primary)

2026 → ← 2022
Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 15, 2024 (incumbent) March 1, 2024 (non-incumbent)
Primary: May 14, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Central time zone); 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain time zone) Voting in Nebraska
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd Nebraska elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

A Republican Party primary took place on May 14, 2024, in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Incumbent Adrian Smith advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 78.3%-15.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 74.9%-23.1%.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
(date not yet available)	May 14, 2024	November 5, 2024

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Nebraska, participation rules for primaries vary by the office up for election. State legislative primaries use a nonpartisan top-two primary system in which any voter can participate. Congressional primaries are partisan, but any voter may vote in the congressional primary of their choice. For all other statewide offices, a state party can determine if it will allow unaffiliated voters to vote their primary ballot.

As of September 2025, the Democratic Party held a semi-closed primary in which registered party members and unaffiliated voters could participate, and the Republican Party held a closed primary in which only registered party members could participate.

This page focuses on Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)
• Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith defeated John Walz and Robert McCuiston in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adrian Smith	74.2	68,056
		John Walz	18.6	17,060
		Robert McCuiston	7.3	6,654

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 91,770
= 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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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Robert McCuiston

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Robert McCuiston a conservative Candidate for the position of the 3rd Congressional District of Nebraska. I am not your usual political figure that is a "Yes Man" for the establishment Republican Party in Washington that continues to work for the wealthy. I am a native of Nebraska and have a passion for this state and our Republic of America. Our country is heading in the direction of inequality that has been the norm since the 1970"s and the disenfranchised as well as the middle class continues to suffer like no time in my life. My background in the disciplines include, Micro and, Macro Economics, Banking, Finance, Accounting, Law and foreign management policies. I have worked most of my entire life at various jobs in Nebraska of which have provide a moderate wage for a middle class life style, but that's no more. I currently hold a Nebraska City Street and County Highway Superintendents License and had various other Licenses including Insurance."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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National Emergency: One of the primary reasons for stringent border control is the paramount concern for national security. Ensuring that immigration occurs through legal channels allows for thorough background checks, preventing potential threats from entering the country. A secure border is a critical component in safeguarding the safety and security of American citizens. Maintaining control over immigration helps protect the economic interests of the country. Uncontrolled illegal immigration can lead to an oversupply of low-skilled labor, potentially depressing wages for American workers in certain industries. By regulating immigration, the government can better manage the labor market, promoting fair wages and economic stability.

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The tax code in the United States is a complex system that has come under scrutiny in recent years due to its preferential treatment of corporations and wealthy individuals. This has led to a growing call for tax reform to benefit everyone, not just the privileged few. Ultimately, restructuring the tax code to benefit everyone would require a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying issues that contribute to its inequities. While this may require significant changes to the system, it is essential to ensure that the tax code is fair and equitable for all Americans, not just a select few.

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Recent partisan deadlock in Congress has hampered progress. A new representative who is eager to cooperate with their opponents can reduce barriers and foster teamwork, which improves governance. Unburdened by partisan politics, a new voice can work to advance legislation that benefits the 3rd Congressional District by finding common ground with colleagues on all sides of the political aisle. By choosing a new representative, the district can welcome new ideas, better reflect its shifting demographics, put accountability and transparency first, encourage voter participation, and end political deadlock. The district has to transition into a new period of leadership that is forward-looking, inclusive, and dedicated to the welfare and pro

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 in 2024.

John Walz

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I grew up in a small town, where I worked for multiple dairy farmers while attending high school. In 1989, I enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in the Persian Gulf, working as a helicopter mechanic during several campaigns. It was during my time in the military that I met my wife, with whom I've shared over 30 years of marriage and raised a family of 10 children. After leaving the military I decided to attend college. Despite facing numerous challenges, including a tragic accident involving my eldest son, I persevered and earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in December of 2002. I found success as a maintenance, project, and engineering manager in various companies and in 2011, I moved to Hastings for a position as the engineering manager at a biofuel company. However, when the company closed in 2014, it prompted a significant shift in my perspective of what was important. Embracing a newfound sense of purpose, my family and I opened a discounted grocery store in Hastings. Our aim was to offer deeply discounted groceries with the intent of providing financial relief young working families and others. As we witness the gratitude of our customers, particularly those young families and single mothers, it affirms our decision to prioritize service over financial gain. Today, eight of our 10 children have spread their wings across the country, leaving two at home—one graduating high school this year and the youngest a sophomore."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Get down on our knees and invoke God’s intervention. Without God's intercession all efforts to restore our Republic are futile.

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Learn why and how the US was founded. Our founders were very deliberate, from the time they declared independence from England through the creation of the Constitution. As citizens of the United States, we must know our heritage; otherwise, we condemn ourselves to the same fate as other great and powerful nations throughout history.

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Learn who the enemies are and their plans to defeat America. Our enemies, both within and without, do not keep very good secrets pertaining to their plans to destroy America. We must familiarize ourselves with documents such as the 45 goals to destroy America as written by Cleon Skousen in 'The Naked Communist', Saul Alinsky's 'Rules for Radicals', Karl Marx's 'Communist Manifesto', as well as the Quran's command to eradicate infidels and impose Jihad worldwide. We must also understand who and how the CFR, Trilateral Commission, WEF, UN, etc., are and their nefarious plans to subvert the US as well. Knowing this will keep each of us alert and recognize destructive plans before they are embedded into society.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Nebraska

Election information in Nebraska: May 14, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: May 3, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by April 29, 2024
• Online: April 29, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: May 3, 2024
• By mail: Received by May 3, 2024
• Online: May 3, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: May 14, 2024
• By mail: Received by May 14, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

April 15, 2024 to May 13, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CT)

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Adrian Smith	Republican Party	$1,996,681	$1,982,984	$928,233	As of December 31, 2024
Robert McCuiston	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
John Walz	Republican Party	$33,135	$37,817	$766	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Nebraska.

Nebraska U.S. House primary competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	3	3	0	11	6	1	3	66.7%	3	100.0%
2022	3	3	1	15	6	3	3	100.0%	2	100.0%
2020	3	3	0	14	6	2	2	66.7%	2	66.7%
2018	3	3	0	11	6	2	1	50.0%	1	33.3%
2016	3	3	0	6	6	0	1	16.7%	0	0.0%
2014	3	3	0	11	6	1	3	66.7%	3	100.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Nebraska in 2024. Information below was calculated on March 31, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Eleven candidates ran for Nebraska’s three U.S. House districts, including four Democrats and seven Republicans. That’s 3.7 candidates per district, lower than the 5.3 candidates that ran in 2022 and the 4.7 in 2020

Incumbents filed to run in every district.

Five candidates—two Democrats and three Republicans—ran for the 3rd Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a district in 2024.

Four primaries—one Democratic and three Republican—were contested in 2024. Six primaries were contested in 2022, four primaries were contested in 2020, and three were in 2018.

All incumbents faced primary challenges in 2024. The last year all incumbents faced primary challengers was in 2014.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all three districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+29. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 29 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Nebraska's 3rd the 5th most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Nebraska's 3rd based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
23.1%	74.9%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
22.7	74.3	D+51.6

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Nebraska, 2020

Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 6 Democratic wins
• 25 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

See also: Party control of Nebraska state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Nebraska's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Nebraska
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	3	5
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	3	5

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Nebraska's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Nebraska, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jim Pillen
Lieutenant Governor	Joe Kelly
Secretary of State	Bob Evnen
Attorney General	Mike Hilgers

State legislature

Nebraska State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	16
	Republican Party	32
	Independent	0
	Vacancies	1
	Other	0
Total		49

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nebraska in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nebraska, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Nebraska	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	$1,740.00	2/15/2024 if incumbent; 3/1/2024 if non-incumbent	Source
Nebraska	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	20% of registered voters in the district who voted for president in 2020, or 2,000, whichever is less	$1,740.00	8/1/2024	Source

See also

• Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)
• Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
• United States House elections in Nebraska, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primaries)
• United States House elections in Nebraska, 2024 (May 14 Republican primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

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)

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