Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election, 2026

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • How to run for office
Flag of Nebraska.png


2024
Nebraska's 1st Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline:
February 17, 2026 (incumbent)
March 2, 2026 (non-incumbent)
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 1st 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 1st Congressional District of Nebraska, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 12, 2026. The filing deadline for incumbents was February 17, 2026. The filing deadline for non-incumbents was March 2, 2026. The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.

Currently, Republicans have a 218-214 majority with three vacancies in the chamber.[1] To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Christopher Backemeyer and Eric Moyer are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Incumbent Mike Flood is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood

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 primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Nik Sandman is running in the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Nik Sandman
Nik Sandman Candidate Connection

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.

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Nebraska

Election information in Nebraska: May 12, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: May 1, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by April 27, 2026
  • Online: April 27, 2026

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

Yes

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

  • In-person: May 1, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 1, 2026
  • Online: N/A

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

  • In-person: May 12, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 12, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 13, 2026 to May 11, 2026

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

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

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

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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Mike Flood Republican Party $1,554,368 $579,559 $1,195,591 As of December 31, 2025
Christopher Backemeyer Democratic Party $157,269 $32,078 $125,191 As of December 31, 2025
Eric Moyer Democratic Party $20,882 $16,810 $5,018 As of December 31, 2025
Nik Sandman Libertarian Party $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.[2]
  • 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.[3][4][5]

Race ratings: Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
3/17/20263/10/20263/3/20262/24/2026
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 1

Incumbent Mike Flood (R) defeated Carol Blood (D) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood (R)
 
60.1
 
187,559
Image of Carol Blood
Carol Blood (D)
 
39.9
 
124,498

Total votes: 312,057
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 1

Carol Blood (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Carol Blood
Carol Blood
 
100.0
 
34,888

Total votes: 34,888
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 1

Incumbent Mike Flood (R) defeated Michael Connely (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood
 
81.5
 
56,846
Image of Michael Connely
Michael Connely  Candidate Connection
 
18.5
 
12,884

Total votes: 69,730
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

Regular election

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Incumbent Mike Flood (R) defeated Patty Pansing Brooks (D) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood (R)
 
57.9
 
129,236
Image of Patty Pansing Brooks
Patty Pansing Brooks (D)
 
42.1
 
93,929

Total votes: 223,165
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 1

Patty Pansing Brooks (D) defeated Jazari Kual Zakaria (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Patty Pansing Brooks
Patty Pansing Brooks
 
86.5
 
31,808
Image of Jazari Kual Zakaria
Jazari Kual Zakaria  Candidate Connection
 
13.5
 
4,944

Total votes: 36,752
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 1

Incumbent Mike Flood (R) defeated Jeffrey Fortenberry (R) (Withdrew, still on ballot), John Glen Weaver (R), Thireena Yuki Connely (R), and Curtis Huffman (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood
 
73.9
 
61,265
Image of Jeffrey Fortenberry
Jeffrey Fortenberry (Withdrew, still on ballot)
 
11.8
 
9,807
Image of John Glen Weaver
John Glen Weaver  Candidate Connection
 
6.6
 
5,470
Thireena Yuki Connely  Candidate Connection
 
4.0
 
3,353
Image of Curtis Huffman
Curtis Huffman  Candidate Connection
 
3.7
 
3,062

Total votes: 82,957
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.

Special election

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Mike Flood (R) defeated Patty Pansing Brooks (D) in the special general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Flood
Mike Flood (R)
 
52.7
 
61,017
Image of Patty Pansing Brooks
Patty Pansing Brooks (D)
 
47.3
 
54,783

Total votes: 115,800
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 1

Incumbent Jeffrey Fortenberry (R) defeated Kate Bolz (D) and Dennis Grace (L) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeffrey Fortenberry
Jeffrey Fortenberry (R)
 
59.5
 
189,006
Image of Kate Bolz
Kate Bolz (D)
 
37.7
 
119,622
Image of Dennis Grace
Dennis Grace (L)  Candidate Connection
 
2.8
 
8,938

Total votes: 317,566
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 1

Kate Bolz (D) defeated Barbara Ramsey (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kate Bolz
Kate Bolz
 
77.6
 
43,400
Barbara Ramsey  Candidate Connection
 
22.4
 
12,497

Total votes: 55,897
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 1

Incumbent Jeffrey Fortenberry (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeffrey Fortenberry
Jeffrey Fortenberry
 
100.0
 
84,017

Total votes: 84,017
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

Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1

Dennis Grace (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 1 on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dennis Grace
Dennis Grace  Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,047

Total votes: 1,047
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_01.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+6. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Nebraska's 1st the 176th most Republican district nationally.[6]

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 1st Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
43.0%56.0%

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
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Jim Pillen
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Joe Kelly
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Bob Evnen
Attorney GeneralRepublican 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
Seal of Nebraska.png
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
CongressLogosmall.png
Nebraska congressional delegation
Voting in Nebraska
Nebraska elections:
202620252024202320222021202020192018
Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
U.S. House elections
Special elections
Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. A majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, when there are no vacancies, is 218 seats.
  2. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  5. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  6. 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)