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United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska, 2012
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Nebraska's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Other executive offices • State Senate • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
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May 15, 2012 |
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The 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Nebraska took place on November 6, 2012. Voters elected three candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's three congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Nebraska has a closed primary system, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by February 10 by mail or February 17 in-person. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 19 by mail or October 26 in-person.[1]
- See also: Nebraska elections, 2012
The Center for Voting and Democracy (Fairvote) projected that Republicans would win all three seats.[2]
Primary competitiveness
Nebraska had the 14th most competitive congressional primaries in 2012, with 66.67% of major party primaries having been contested (4 out of 6). The national average was 54.31%.
Three U.S. House incumbents sought re-election in Nebraska in 2012. 3 of those 3 (100%) faced a primary challenger. Nationwide, 200 out of the 386 incumbents seeking re-election faced a primary challenger (51.81%).
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 6 election, the Republican Party held all three of the Congressional seats from Nebraska.
| Members of the U.S. House from Nebraska -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | |
| Republican Party | 3 | 3 | |
| Total | 3 | 3 | |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2012 election, the incumbents for the three congressional districts were:
| Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian Smith |  Republican |
3 |
| Jeffrey Fortenberry | Republican |
1 |
| Lee Terry | Republican |
2 |
Margin of victory for winners
There were a total of 3 seats up for election in 2012 in Nebraska. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the top-two vote getters. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%.
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska, District 1 |  Jeff Fortenberry |
36.6% | 256,095 | Korey L. Reiman |
| Nebraska, District 2 | Lee Terry |
1.6% | 263,731 | John Ewing |
| Nebraska, District 3 | Adrian Smith |
48.3% | 252,689 | Mark Sullivan |
General election candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
| District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| 1st |  Korey L. Reiman Jeff Fortenberry |
Jeffrey Fortenberry | Jeff Fortenberry |
No |
| 2nd | John Ewing Lee Terry Matt Helt |
Lee Terry | Lee Terry |
No |
| 3rd | Mark Sullivan Adrian Smith |
Adrian Smith | Adrian Smith |
No |
Primary results
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
Democratic Primary
- Korey L. Reiman: Attorney[3]
- Korey L. Reiman: Attorney[3]
- Note: Robert Way withdrew from the primary in March 2012[4]
Republican Primary
- Jeff Fortenberry: Incumbent[5]
- Dennis Parker: Former musician[6]
- Jessica L. Turek: Writer and Drummer[3]
- Jeff Fortenberry: Incumbent[5]
2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
Democratic Primary
- Gwen Howard: Nebraska state senator[7]
- John Ewing: Douglas County treasurer[8]
Republican Primary
- Lee Terry: Incumbent[9]
- Jack Heidel: Math department chairman at the University of Nebraska at Omaha[8]
- Brett Lindstrom: Financial analyst and former University of Nebraska football player[8]
- Glenn Freeman: Former Douglas County Republican Party chairman[10]
- Paul Anderson: Railroad mechanic[3]
- Lee Terry: Incumbent[9]
Independent Candidate
3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
Democratic Primary
- Mark Sullivan: Farmer[3]
- Mark Sullivan: Farmer[3]
Republican Primary
- Adrian Smith: Incumbent[12]
- Bob Lingenfelter: Farmer and former NFL player[3]
- Adrian Smith: Incumbent[12]
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Nebraska, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Voter Information," accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ , "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Nebraska," September 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Nebraska Secretary of State "2012 Primary Candidates List," accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Nebraska Democrats "Robert Way withdraws from Congressional race, endorses Korey Reiman" May 15, 2012
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald "No Senate bid for Fortenberry" accessed February 4, 2012
- ↑ Lincoln Journal Star "1st District congressional candidate plans faith-based message," accessed December 16, 2011
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald "Gwen Howard to run for Congress," accessed December 16, 2011
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Omaha World-Herald "UNO chairman to run for Congress," accessed December 16, 2011
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald "No Senate bid for Fortenberry" accessed February 4, 2012
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald "Freeman to challenge Terry" accessed February 4, 2012
- ↑ Facebook Page "Matt Helt" June 11, 2012
- ↑ Journal Star "Nebraska Rep. Adrian Smith files for re-election" accessed February 4, 2012
