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Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: Pending
Primary: May 12, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
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: Pending
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, 2026
See also
Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd
Nebraska elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 3rd Congressional District of Nebraska, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith, Becky Lynn Stille, David Huebner, and Mark Cohen are running in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on November 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = 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.

Image of Mark Cohen

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None


Key Messages

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


The two-party system is broken. It encourages extremism and pits neighbor against neighbor. Rural Nebraska deserves a true independent who speaks for them, not billionaires. They deserve a representative who is not beholden to a party or a party boss - one who is willing to propose big ideas and hold the feet of both major parties to the fire. I am a father, veteran, former Special Asst. U.S. Attorney for Nebraska, agricultural lawyer, and karate instructor. I've been a Nebraska Admiral for 39 years. I am running because I believe in the values America is supposed to stand for - freedom, equality, free speech, democracy, and respect for the rule of law.


Nebraskans are smarter than the politicians and pundits often assume. They are not very concerned about the so-called "wedge" issues that the extremists use to divide them and raise money; they care about agriculture, healthcare, and life in small towns and rural areas. They know not all Democrats are socialists and not all Republicans are fascists. They want and deserve a representative who does not use labels to divide them, a representative who can help find common ground and real solutions.


If we don't get the big corporate money out of politics and protect the integrity of our elections, it will be difficult to pass legislation that will actually help rural Nebraskans. The billionaires and big corporations have too much political power - a power the founders never imagined - and we must reign it in to preserve our democracy.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Nebraska

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/MarkCohen2025.jpg

Mark Cohen (Nonpartisan)

The two-party system is broken. It encourages extremism and pits neighbor against neighbor. Rural Nebraska deserves a true independent who speaks for them, not billionaires. They deserve a representative who is not beholden to a party or a party boss - one who is willing to propose big ideas and hold the feet of both major parties to the fire. I am a father, veteran, former Special Asst. U.S. Attorney for Nebraska, agricultural lawyer, and karate instructor. I've been a Nebraska Admiral for 39 years. I am running because I believe in the values America is supposed to stand for - freedom, equality, free speech, democracy, and respect for the rule of law.

Nebraskans are smarter than the politicians and pundits often assume. They are not very concerned about the so-called "wedge" issues that the extremists use to divide them and raise money; they care about agriculture, healthcare, and life in small towns and rural areas. They know not all Democrats are socialists and not all Republicans are fascists. They want and deserve a representative who does not use labels to divide them, a representative who can help find common ground and real solutions.

If we don't get the big corporate money out of politics and protect the integrity of our elections, it will be difficult to pass legislation that will actually help rural Nebraskans. The billionaires and big corporations have too much political power - a power the founders never imagined - and we must reign it in to preserve our democracy.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/MarkCohen2025.jpg

Mark Cohen (Nonpartisan)

I am concerned about every issue that impacts my neighbors, other Nebraskans, and my country.

I want to return to tax rates more like those both parties supported in the 1950's so large corporations have an incentive to reinvest their profits.

I want to protect the integrity of our elections. We must do more to deter foreign interference in our elections.

I oppose the global surveillance state that the billionaires seek.

I want healthcare for every American, and I will preserve Social Security and Medicare.

We must take climate change seriously; it's already impacting Nebraska's farmers and ranchers.

I want America to support its allies - not appease Putin.

I want a strict code of ethics for the Supreme Court.


You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Adrian Smith Republican Party $928,135 $562,237 $1,294,130 As of September 30, 2025
Becky Lynn Stille Democratic Party $28,161 $23,647 $4,514 As of June 30, 2025
David Huebner Republican Party $16,982 $10,876 $6,105 As of September 30, 2025
Mark Cohen Nonpartisan $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/16/202512/9/202512/2/202511/25/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nebraska in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nebraska, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nebraska U.S. House Ballot-qualified party N/A $1,740 Incumbents: 2/17/2026, Non-incumbents: 3/2/2026 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 Incumbents: 2/17/2026, Non-incumbents: 3/2/2026 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith (R) defeated Daniel Ebers (D) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith (R)
 
80.4
 
243,481
Image of Daniel Ebers
Daniel Ebers (D)
 
19.6
 
59,287

Total votes: 302,768
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Daniel Ebers (D) defeated David J. Else (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Daniel Ebers
Daniel Ebers
 
52.9
 
7,841
Image of David J. Else
David J. Else
 
47.1
 
6,982

Total votes: 14,823
Candidate Connection = 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) defeated John Walz (R) and Robert McCuiston (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 14, 2024.

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

Total votes: 91,770
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith (R) defeated David J. Else (D) and Mark Elworth Jr. (Legal Marijuana Now Party) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith (R)
 
78.3
 
172,700
Image of David J. Else
David J. Else (D)
 
15.8
 
34,836
Image of Mark Elworth Jr.
Mark Elworth Jr. (Legal Marijuana Now Party)  Candidate Connection
 
5.9
13,016

Total votes: 220,552
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

David J. Else (D) defeated Daniel Wik (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David J. Else
David J. Else
 
52.2
 
8,701
Image of Daniel Wik
Daniel Wik
 
47.8
 
7,968

Total votes: 16,669
Candidate Connection = 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) defeated Mike Calhoun (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith
 
76.0
 
89,453
Mike Calhoun
 
24.0
 
28,243

Total votes: 117,696
Candidate Connection = 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.

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary

Mark Elworth Jr. (Legal Marijuana Now Party) advanced from the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Elworth Jr.
Mark Elworth Jr.  Candidate Connection
 
100.0
89

Total votes: 89
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith (R) defeated Mark Elworth Jr. (D) and Dustin Hobbs (L) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith (R)
 
78.5
 
225,157
Image of Mark Elworth Jr.
Mark Elworth Jr. (D)
 
17.7
 
50,690
Dustin Hobbs (L)
 
3.8
 
10,923

Total votes: 286,770
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Mark Elworth Jr. (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Elworth Jr.
Mark Elworth Jr.
 
100.0
 
26,776

Total votes: 26,776
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Incumbent Adrian Smith (R) defeated Arron Kowalski (R), Justin Moran (R), William Elfgren (R), and Larry Bolinger (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith
 
82.6
 
96,260
Arron Kowalski
 
5.5
 
6,424
Image of Justin Moran
Justin Moran  Candidate Connection
 
5.5
 
6,374
Image of William Elfgren
William Elfgren  Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
4,063
Image of Larry Bolinger
Larry Bolinger  Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
3,389

Total votes: 116,510
Candidate Connection = 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.

Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3

Dustin Hobbs (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 3 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Dustin Hobbs
 
100.0
 
561

Total votes: 561
Candidate Connection = 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.

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 2026 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.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_ne_congressional_district_03.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+27. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 27 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Nebraska's 3rd the 6th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
23.0% 76.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Nebraska, 2024

Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 6 Democratic wins
  • 27 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 2024
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 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 October 2025.

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 October 2025.

State executive officials in Nebraska, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Jim Pillen
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Joe Kelly
Secretary of State Republican Party Bob Evnen
Attorney General Republican Party Mike Hilgers

State legislature

Nebraska State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 14
     Republican Party 33
     Other 2
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

Trifecta control

Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2025
Seven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-seven 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 25
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 R
Senate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

See also

Nebraska 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Don Bacon (R)
District 3
Republican Party (5)