Nebraska State Senate elections, 2022
|
2024 →
← 2020
|
|
| 2022 Nebraska Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | May 10, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2022 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Nebraska State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 10, 2022. The filing deadline for incumbents was February 15, 2022. The filing deadline for non-incumbent primary candidates was March 1, 2022.
While Nebraska's Senate is officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia identified the partisan affiliations of 63 of the 66 legislative candidates using publicly-available information. After the filing deadlines, there were 17 Democratic candidates, 39 Republicans, three Libertarians, and four candidates registered as nonpartisan. Three candidates' affiliations could not be determined.
As a result of the election, the chamber's Republican supermajority remained 32-17.
The Nebraska State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified six battleground races in the Nebraska State Senate 2022 elections. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
Twenty-four seats were up for election in 2022. As of the 2022 election, the Republican Party controlled 17 seats and the Democratic Party controlled seven seats.
At the time of the 2022 election, Nebraska had had a Republican trifecta since 1999. If the Democratic Party flipped eight or more seats, then the Republican Party would have lost its trifecta. If the Republican Party lost no more than seven seats it would have maintained its trifecta. This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.
Party control
| Nebraska State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 17 | 17 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | 32 | |
| Total | 49 | 49 | |
Candidates
General
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary
2022 battleground chamber
The Nebraska State Senate was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.
What was at stake?
- The Democratic Party needed to gain eight or more seats to take control of the chamber. The Republican Party needed to lose seven or fewer seats to maintain control.
- The Democratic Party flipping the state Senate would have broken the Republican Party's trifecta. The Republican Party would have needed to keep the state Senate and the governorship to maintain their trifecta.
Why was it a battleground?
- Seats flipped in the last election: Three of the seats up for election (13% of seats up) flipped to a different party the last time they were up.
- Seats decided by less than 10% in the last election: Five of the seats up for election (21% of seats up) in 2022 were decided by margins of 10 percentage points or smaller the last time they were up.
- 2020 battleground chamber: The Nebraska State Senate was a battleground chamber in 2020. That year, the Democratic Party gained a net two seats and the Republican Party maintained control of the chamber. Read more about the 2020 elections here.
Battleground races
District 6
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Machaela Cavanaugh received 50.9% of the vote compared incumbent Theresa Thibodeau’s 49.1% of the vote. |
District 10
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Wendy DeBoer received 50.3% of the vote compared to incumbent Matt Deaver’s 49.7% of the vote. |
District 12
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Steve Lathrop received 55.8% of the vote compared to incumbent Merv Riepe’s 44.2% of the vote. |
District 18
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, incumbent Brett Lindstrom received 53.6% of the vote compared to Scott Winkler’s 46.4% of the vote. |
District 20
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, incumbent John McCollister received 58.8% of the vote compared to Jackie Collett’s 41.2% of the vote. |
District 26
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where neither party had a partisan lean of 55% or greater, according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, incumbent Matt Hansen received 73.2% of the vote compared to Bob Van Valkenburg’s 26.8% of the vote. |
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. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
No incumbents lost in general elections.
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents lost in primaries. Between 2010 and 2022, one incumbent lost in a contested primary in Nebraska: Sen. Nicole Fox (R) in 2016.
Retiring incumbents
Thirteen incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Hilkemann |  Republican |
Senate District 4 | Term limited |
| Steve Lathrop |  Democratic |
Senate District 12 | Retired |
| Brett Lindstrom | Republican |
Senate District 18 | Term limited/ Other office |
| John McCollister | Republican |
Senate District 20 | Term limited/ Other office |
| Mark Kolterman | Republican |
Senate District 24 | Term limited |
| Matt Hansen | Democratic |
Senate District 26 | Term limited |
| Patty Pansing Brooks | Democratic |
Senate District 28 | Term limited/ Other office |
| Curt Friesen | Republican |
Senate District 34 | Term limited |
| Matt Williams | Republican |
Senate District 36 | Term limited/ Other office |
| Timothy J. Gragert | Republican |
Senate District 40 | Retired |
| Dan Hughes | Republican |
Senate District 44 | Term limited |
| Adam Morfeld | Democratic |
Senate District 46 | Term limited/ Other office |
| John Stinner Sr. | Republican |
Senate District 48 | Term limited |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Nebraska. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Nebraska in 2022. Information below was calculated on March 3, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Over half of the 24 Senate districts in Nebraska's unicameral legislature were effectively guaranteed to be represented by newcomers following the 2022 candidate filing deadline. There were 13 open districts where no incumbent filed for re-election, representing 54% of the districts holding elections in 2022. This aws the largest number of open districts since 2014 when 17 incumbents did not seek re-election.
This increase was caused, in part, by Nebraska’s term limit laws, which limit senators to no more than two consecutive four-year terms in office. In 2022, 11 of the 13 open districts were caused by term limits, with the remaining two open districts caused by retirements. In 2014, all 17 open districts were caused by term limits.
Other takeaways from Nebraska's candidate filing deadline can be found below:
- Sixty-six candidates filed for the 24 districts, equaling 2.8 candidates per district, the largest number since at least 2014 when there were 2.7 candidates per district.
- While Nebraska’s Senate is officially nonpartisan, using publicly available voter information provided by the Voter Information Lookup, Ballotpedia identified the partisan affiliations of 63 candidates: 17 Democrats, 39, Republicans, three Libertarians, and four registered as nonpartisan.
- In Nebraska, every district uses a single top-two primary where every candidate runs and the two with the most votes advance to the general election. Candidate filings created 14 contested primaries in 2022, 58% of the 24 that were possible. This represents the largest number of contested primaries in the state since at least 2014.
- Of those 14 contested primaries, six featured incumbents, 55% of incumbents who filed for re-election, the largest percentage since at least 2014.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Nebraska State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2]
| Open Seats in Nebraska State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 24 | 13 (54%) | 11 (46%) |
| 2020 | 25 | 6 (24%) | 19 (76%) |
| 2018 | 24 | 8 (33%) | 16 (67%) |
| 2016 | 25 | 11 (44%) | 14 (56%) |
| 2014 | 25 | 17 (68%) | 8 (32%) |
| 2012 | 26 | 9 (35%) | 17 (65%) |
| 2010 | 24 | 3 (13%) | 21 (87%) |
Process to become a candidate
For all candidates
According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, every prospective candidate must complete and submit a candidate filing form (which includes a candidate statement that must be signed) and provide for the payment of the filing fee. For state offices, the candidate must submit a statement of financial interests. A candidate for federal office must submit a financial statement according to Federal Election Commission instructions.[3]
Filing fees vary by office and are established by Chapter 32, Section 608, of the Nebraska Revised Statutes.[4][5]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | How the fee is determined |
| United States Senator or United States Representative | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Governor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Secretary of state | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State auditor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State treasurer | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Attorney general | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Public service commissioner | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State senator | 1% of the office's annual salary |
If the office for which the candidate is filing pays only a per diem (i.e., an allowance for expenses incurred as a result of fulfilling an office's duties) or a salary of less than $500 per year, the filing fee is waived. In addition, no filing fee is required of any candidate who completes an affidavit requesting to file in forma pauperis (i.e., a person whose "income and other resources for maintenance are found to be insufficient for meeting the cost of his or her requirements and whose cash or other available resources do not exceed the maximum available resources that an eligible individual may own").[4]
For partisan candidates
See statutes: Chapter 32, Section 610 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes
To be eligible for inclusion on a partisan primary ballot, a candidate must be a registered voter of the party, if so required. A partisan candidate must complete the aforementioned paperwork and pay the filing fees required of all candidates.[6]
For independent candidates
See statutes: Chapter 32, Section 616 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes
Any registered voter who was not a candidate in the primary election and who was not registered to vote with a party affiliation on or before March 1 in the calendar year of the general election may have his or her name placed on the general election ballot either by petition or nomination by political party convention or committee. The number of signatures required for nominating petitions varies by office (see below table for more information).[7][8]
| Signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures required |
| Nonpartisan office (including state legislators) filled by registered voters of a county or political subdivision | 10% of the total number of registered voters voting for governor or president at the most recent general election; not to exceed 2,000 |
| Partisan office | 4,000 signatures for candidates for statewide office of U.S. House |
For further information regarding petition requirements, see below.
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Nebraska Senate, a candidate must be:[9]
- At least 21 years of age
- A resident of Nebraska, and specifically a resident of the legislative district he or she wishes to serve, for at least one year prior to the general election
- Must not have ever been convicted of a felony
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $12,000/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/day. |
When sworn in
Nebraska legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.[11]
Nebraska political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Presidential politics in Nebraska
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Nebraska, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
58.5
|
556,846 | 4 | |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
39.4
|
374,583 | 1 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
2.1
|
20,283 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 951,712 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Nebraska, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 33.7% | 284,494 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
58.7% | 495,961 | 4 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 4.6% | 38,946 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1% | 8,775 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 1.9% | 16,051 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 844,227 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission | |||||
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 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Nebraska
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On September 30, 2021, the Nebraska State Legislature approved a new state legislative map, 37-7. Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the map into law shortly afterwards.[12] This map took effect for Nebraska's 2022 legislative elections.
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Nebraska State Senate Districts
until January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Nebraska State Senate Districts
starting January 4, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Nebraska | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate Filing Guide 2024," accessed January 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nebraska Revised Statutes, "Chapter 32, Section 608," accessed April 3, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Filing Fee Schedule for 2014," accessed December 2, 2013
- ↑ Nebraska Revised Statutes, "Chapter 32, Section 610," accessed April 3, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Revised Statutes, "Chapter 32, Section 616," accessed April 3, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska Revised Statutes, "Chapter 32, Section 618," accessed April 3, 2025
- ↑ Qualifications to serve in the Nebraska Legislature
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Nebraska Constitution, "Article III-10," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "LB3 - Set boundaries of legislative districts," accessed September 30, 2021
