Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Nebraska's 1st Congressional District |
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| 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) |
| Race ratings |
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 |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd 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:
- Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 12 Democratic primary)
- Nebraska's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 12 Republican primary)
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 | ||
| Christopher Backemeyer | ||
Eric Moyer ![]() | ||
= 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 | ||
| Mike Flood | ||
= 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 | ||
Nik Sandman ![]() | ||
= 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
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." |
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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 tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 3/17/2026 | 3/10/2026 | 3/3/2026 | 2/24/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Flood (R) | 60.1 | 187,559 |
| | Carol Blood (D) | 39.9 | 124,498 | |
| Total votes: 312,057 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Carol Blood | 100.0 | 34,888 |
| Total votes: 34,888 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Flood | 81.5 | 56,846 |
| | Michael Connely ![]() | 18.5 | 12,884 | |
| Total votes: 69,730 | ||||
= 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
- Ava Solomon (R)
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 | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Flood (R) | 57.9 | 129,236 |
| | Patty Pansing Brooks (D) | 42.1 | 93,929 | |
| Total votes: 223,165 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Patty Pansing Brooks | 86.5 | 31,808 |
| | Jazari Kual Zakaria ![]() | 13.5 | 4,944 | |
| Total votes: 36,752 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Flood | 73.9 | 61,265 |
| | Jeffrey Fortenberry (Withdrew, still on ballot) | 11.8 | 9,807 | |
| | John Glen Weaver ![]() | 6.6 | 5,470 | |
Thireena Yuki Connely ![]() | 4.0 | 3,353 | ||
| | Curtis Huffman ![]() | 3.7 | 3,062 | |
| Total votes: 82,957 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Flood (R) | 52.7 | 61,017 |
| | Patty Pansing Brooks (D) | 47.3 | 54,783 | |
| Total votes: 115,800 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Jeffrey Fortenberry (R) | 59.5 | 189,006 |
| | Kate Bolz (D) | 37.7 | 119,622 | |
| | Dennis Grace (L) ![]() | 2.8 | 8,938 | |
| Total votes: 317,566 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Kate Bolz | 77.6 | 43,400 |
Barbara Ramsey ![]() | 22.4 | 12,497 | ||
| Total votes: 55,897 | ||||
= 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Jeffrey Fortenberry | 100.0 | 84,017 |
| Total votes: 84,017 | ||||
= 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
- Nicholas Oviatt (R)
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 | ||
| ✔ | | Dennis Grace ![]() | 100.0 | 1,047 |
| Total votes: 1,047 | ||||
= 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.

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.
| Kamala Harris | Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, when there are no vacancies, is 218 seats.
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
