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Presidential election in Nebraska, 2016

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General election in Nebraska
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Donald Trump
Electoral votes: Five
2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R)
Democratic Caucuses
  Date: March 5, 2016
Winner: Bernie Sanders
Republican Primary
  Date: May 10, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in Nebraska
  U.S. House
State executives
Nebraska State Senate
Nebraska judicial elections
Nebraska local judicial elections
State ballot measures
School boards
Recalls
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Nebraska held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democrats held a caucus in Nebraska on March 5, 2016. Republicans held a primary election in Nebraska on May 10, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Donald Trump won the statewide vote and all three congressional districts in Nebraska in the general election.
  • In 2016, Nebraska had five electoral votes, which was 0.9 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 1.8 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election. Nebraska is one of two states that awards its electoral votes proportionally. The other is Maine. Nebraska adopted this system in 1996. Nebraska's second congressional district was a key battleground in the 2016 presidential election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Nebraska cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.67 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Nebraska supported Republican candidates more often than Democratic candidates, 76.67 to 23.33 percent, making it one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Nebraska awarded all of its electoral votes to Republican candidates in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016 except for 2008, when Barack Obama (D) won the state's second congressional district. This was the first time that Nebraska had ever split its electoral votes.
  • Bernie Sanders won the Nebraska Democratic caucuses on March 5, 2016, with 57.1 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Nebraska Republican primary on May 10, 2016, with 61.5 percent.

    • General election candidates and results

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Nebraska secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Nebraska

    ☑ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
    ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green - listed as "By Petition")

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Nebraska, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 33.7% 284,494 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald 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

    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties: The counties that voted Obama-Obama-Trump from 2008-2016

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[1] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Nebraska's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Nebraska, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Nebraska participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Nebraska voted for the winning presidential candidate 66.67 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
    • Nebraska voted Democratic 23.33 percent of the time and Republican 76.67 percent of the time.

    Presidential election voting record in Nebraska, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election. This data reflects Nebraska's statewide vote.

    Split electoral votes

    In 2008, John McCain won the statewide vote as well as Nebraska's first and third congressional districts, earning him four of the state's five electoral votes. Barack Obama won Nebraska's second congressional district 50 to 49 percent over McCain and received its one electoral vote. Nebraska's second congressional district includes all of Douglas County, which Obama carried 51.7 to 47.1 percent. The city of Omaha is located in Douglas County.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, Nebraska, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 38% 302,081 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMitt Romney/Paul Ryan 59.8% 475,064 5
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 1.4% 11,109 0
         By Petition Randall A. Terry/Marjorie Smith 0.3% 2,408 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.5% 3,717 0
    Total Votes 794,379 5
    Election results via: Nebraska Secretary of State

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, Nebraska, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden 41.6% 333,319 1
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn McCain/Sarah Palin 56.5% 452,979 4
         By Petition Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 0.7% 5,406 0
         Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 0.3% 2,740 0
         Green Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente 0.1% 1,028 0
         Nebraska Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle 0.4% 2,972 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.4% 2,837 0
    Total Votes 801,281 5
    Election results via: Nebraska Secretary of State

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Nebraska electors

    In 2016, Nebraska had five electoral votes. Nebraska's share of electoral votes represented 0.9 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.8 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Nebraska awards its electoral votes by congressional district and the popular vote. It has two electoral votes for the statewide vote and one for each of its three congressional districts. It first implemented this system in 1996. The only other state that allocates electoral votes proportionally is Maine.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[4][5]

    Nebraska was one of 31 states in 2016—including the District of Columbia—with a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Nebraska elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Nebraska covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats: Republicans:
    • 2016 Republican winner: Donald Trump
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Closed Primary
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 36

    Democrats

    Bernie Sanders won the 2016 Nebraska Democratic caucuses, defeating Hillary Clinton 57 to 43 percent. His victory in Nebraska marked his second win of the evening of March 5, 2016, which also saw a Democratic caucus in Kansas and a primary in Louisiana. Sanders won the Kansas caucus too. In Nebraska, Sanders carried Douglass County, the state's most populous county and home to the city of Omaha, 54 to 46 percent. He won the state's second most populous county, Lancaster—home to the city of Lincoln—68 to 32 percent. In Wheeler County, a population of 759 residents, Clinton and Sanders tied. Out of six voters, they received three votes each.[6] In the 2008 Nebraska Democratic caucus, Barack Obama beat Clinton 68 to 32 percent.[7]

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the Nebraska Republican primary with more than 60 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz, who suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016, came in second place, while John Kasich, who suspended his campaign on May 4, 2016, came in third. Trump's victory in Nebraska marked his second win since Cruz and Kasich dropped out of the race, following a win earlier in the evening of May 10 in West Virginia. Trump won every county in Nebraska, including the state's two most heavily populated counties, Douglas and Lancaster.

    Results

    Democrats

    Nebraska Democratic Caucus, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngBernie Sanders 57.1% 19,120 15
    Hillary Clinton 42.9% 14,340 10
    Totals 33,460 25
    Source: The New York Times and Nebraska Caucus 2016

    Republicans

    Nebraska Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 61.5% 122,327 36
    Ted Cruz 18.4% 36,703 0
    John Kasich 11.4% 22,709 0
    Marco Rubio 3.6% 7,233 0
    Ben Carson 5% 10,016 0
    Totals 198,988 36
    Source: The New York Times and Nebraska Secretary of State

    Candidate list

    Democrats[8]

    Hillary Clinton


    Bernie Sanders

    Republicans[8]

    Ben Carson
    Ted Cruz


    John Kasich
    Marco Rubio


    Donald Trump

    Libertarians[8]

    Marc Feldman
    Gary Johnson


    Steve Kerbel
    John McAfee


    Austin Petersen

    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Nebraska had 30 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 25 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide caucus results.[9][10]

    Five party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[9][11]

    Nebraska superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Nebraska, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Nebraska had 36 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, nine were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's three congressional districts). Nebraska's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's district delegates.[12][13]

    Of the remaining 27 delegates, 24 served at large. Nebraska's at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[12][13]

    Republican delegates

    See also: Republican delegates from Nebraska, 2016 and RNC delegate guidelines from Nebraska, 2016

    Presidential voting history

    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

    State profile

    Demographic data for Nebraska
     NebraskaU.S.
    Total population:1,893,765316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):76,8243,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:88.1%73.6%
    Black/African American:4.7%12.6%
    Asian:2%5.1%
    Native American:0.9%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2.2%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:10%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:90.7%86.7%
    College graduation rate:29.3%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$52,997$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:14.6%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nebraska.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Nebraska

    Nebraska voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Nebraska, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[14]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nebraska had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

    More Nebraska coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
    2. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    3. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    4. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    5. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    6. ↑ The New York Times, "Nebraska Caucus results," March 5, 2016
    7. ↑ CNN, "Election Center: 2008," accessed March 5, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," February 26, 2016
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    10. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    11. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
    14. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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    Democratic: April 14, 2016 (CNN) • March 9, 2016 (Univision) • March 6, 2016 (CNN) • February 11, 2016 (PBS) • February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) • January 17, 2016 (NBC) • December 19, 2015 (ABC) • November 14, 2015 (CBS) • October 13, 2015 (CNN)
    Republican: March 10, 2016 (CNN) • March 3, 2016 (FNC) • February 25, 2016 (CNN) • February 13, 2016 (CBS) • February 6, 2016 (ABC) • January 28, 2016 (FNC) • January 14, 2016 (FBN) • December 15, 2015 (CNN) • November 10, 2015 (FBN) • October 28, 2015 (CNBC) • September 16, 2015 (CNN)

    Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate


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