United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2024

	2026 → ← 2020
U.S. Senate, Nebraska
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: ; February 15, 2024 (incumbent); March 1, 2024 (non-incumbent)
	Primary: May 14, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
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: Lean Republican; DDHQ and The Hill: Likely Republican; Inside Elections: Lean Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	U.S. Senate, Nebraska; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd; Nebraska elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Arizona U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMissouri U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

Nebraska 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • State executive offices • State Senate • Supreme court • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • How to run for office

This page contains information on the regular 2024 election. For information on the special 2024 election, see this article.

Incumbent Deb Fischer (R) defeated Dan Osborn (Independent) in the general election for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska on November 5, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

No Democratic candidate filed to run in the primaries or general election.^[1]^[2] According to Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb, the party decided not run a candidate in the Democratic primary after talks with Osborn, saying Osborn "asked us to keep our ballot line open so we could form a coalition."^[2] Following the primaries, Osborn said he would not accept the endorsement of the Democratic Party.^[3] In response, Kleeb said the party would put forward a write-in candidate.^[2] The Nebraska Examiner reported that the Democratic Party ultimately decided not to run a write-in campaign.^[4]

Before the election, The Hill reported that polling showed "Fischer running neck and neck with Osborn, raising eyebrows among political observers and leading some to wonder just how competitive the race might turn out to be."^[1] The outlet reported that Osborn's independent affiliation made the race hard to predict.^[1]

Osborn described himself as an independent and said his campaign had support from people "across the political spectrum who are tired of our broken government in Washington."^[5] Osborn said he would not accept endorsements from any political parties but that he would "take endorsements from small businesses, from veterans, from unions, from normal people."^[3]

Fischer said Osborn was "a Democrat in sheep’s clothing."^[6] Fischer said Osborn had not been open about his affiliation. She said, "He doesn’t say who he will caucus with. He won’t say who he’s going to vote for for president."^[7]

Fischer was first elected in 2012. She owned a cattle ranch at the time of the election and was a school board member in Valentine, Nebraska, from 1990 to 2004.^[8]^[9] She served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2005 to 2013. Fischer campaigned on her legislative record in the Senate.^[10] Highlighting her membership on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Fischer said she believed "the first priority of the federal government is a robust national defense" and that she was "committed to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to fulfill their missions."^[10] Fischer was a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture at the time of the election and said she represented Nebraska’s agriculture industry in that position.^[10] Fischer said she was "a leading voice for modernizing our nation’s infrastructure" and that she was "focused on improving our roads, rebuilding crumbling bridges, and expanding quality broadband access."^[10]

Osborn was a mechanic and union leader at the time of the election.^[11] He served in the U.S. Navy and the Nebraska Army National Guard.^[11] Osborn campaigned on his working-class background, saying he would "be a champion for all working people in Nebraska" if elected.^[12] He also campaigned on his experience leading a 2021 strike at a Kellogg’s plant, saying he had the experience to "protect middle-class jobs and wages."^[11]^[13] Highlighting his military service, Osborn said he believed the government should increase military pay and provide job training for veterans. He said, "Those who serve our country should not be left behind when they return home."^[13] Osborn said he opposed "efforts to legislate how private citizens should conduct themselves" and that he would support gun ownership, advocate for legalizing marijuana, and oppose national legislation on abortion.^[13]

On July 30, 2024, Kerry Eddy (Legal Marijuana Now Party) withdrew from the election and endorsed Osborn.^[14] She advanced from her party’s May primary. During her primary campaign, Eddy said she would withdraw if she thought Osborn was more likely than her to defeat Fischer in the general election.^[14] To read more on Eddy’s campaign and the Legal Marijuana Now Party’s candidate process, click here.

Before the election, four major election forecasters each rated the general election Lean Republican.

Based on third-quarter reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Fischer raised $8 million and spent $7.9 million, and Osborn raised $8 million and spent $6.8 million. To review all the campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in the 119th Congress. Thirty-four of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election. Of the seats up for election in 2024, Democrats held 19, Republicans held 11, and independents held four.

At the time of the election, Democrats had a 50-49 majority.^[15] As a result of the election, Republicans gained a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag To read more about the 2024 U.S. Senate elections, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Nebraska

Incumbent Deb Fischer defeated Dan Osborn in the general election for U.S. Senate Nebraska on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Deb Fischer (R)	53.2	499,124
	Dan Osborn (Nonpartisan)	46.5	436,493
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	2,719

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 938,336
= 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

Kerry Eddy (Legal Marijuana Now Party)

Democratic primary election

No Democratic candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Paul Theobald (D)
Michael Janulewicz (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska

Incumbent Deb Fischer defeated Arron Kowalski in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deb Fischer	79.8	174,820
	Submit photo	Arron Kowalski	20.2	44,334

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 219,154
= 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.

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska

Kerry Eddy defeated Kenneth Peterson in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska on May 14, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kerry Eddy	70.8	743
	Kenneth Peterson	29.2	306

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,049
= 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.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Nebraska

Election information in Nebraska: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 25, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 18, 2024
Online: Oct. 18, 2024

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

Yes

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

In-person: Oct. 25, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 25, 2024
Online: Oct. 25, 2024

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

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 7, 2024 to Nov. 4, 2024

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

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

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Deb Fischer

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

United States Senate (Assumed office: 2013)
Nebraska Legislature, District 43 (20015-2013)

Biography: Fischer received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She served on the school board in Valentine, Nebraska, and was president of the board of directors for the Nebraska Association of School Boards. At the time of the 2024 election, she owned and operated a cattle ranch.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Fischer said her legislative record showed that she was "committed to hard work, common sense solutions, and the Nebraska way of life." She said she "led the way in promoting innovation, regulatory reform, and job creation" in Nebraska through legislation.

Fischer said she believed "the first priority of the federal government is a robust national defense" and highlighted her time on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. She said she was "committed to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to fulfill their missions around the world."

Fischer said she advocated for Nebraska’s agriculture industry as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture.

Fischer said she worked to "rein in out-of-control spending and get our fiscal house in order" as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Show sources

Sources: Deb Fischer 2024 campaign website, "Meet Deb," accessed September 13, 2024; Deb Fischer: United States Senator for Nebraska, "More About Deb," accessed September 13, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Nebraska in 2024.

Dan Osborn

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography: Osborn served in the U.S. Navy and the Nebraska Army National Guard. He served as the president of a local chapter of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union and coordinated a strike at a Kellogg's plant in 2021. At the time of the 2024 election, he was a steamfitter.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Osborn said his working-class background qualified him to "be a champion for all working people in Nebraska." He said he would "bring Nebraskan values to Washington, with a work ethic honed by my years as a Navy man" if elected.

Osborn said his time serving as the president of a union chapter gave him the ability to "protect middle-class jobs and wages," saying that "wages are stagnant, and the secure middle-class one-earner household is becoming a thing of the past."

Osborn highlighted his time in the military and said he believed the country should increase military pay and provide veterans with job training: "Those who serve our country should not be left behind when they return home."

Osborn said he was opposed to "efforts to legislate how private citizens should conduct themselves." He said he supported gun ownership, advocated for legalizing marijuana, and opposed national legislation on abortion.

Show sources

Sources: Dan Osborn 2024 campaign website, "Platform," accessed September 13, 2024, Nebraska Examiner, "Dan Osborn says he has the signatures needed to reach Nebraska’s fall ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate," March 28, 2024; Dan Osborn 2024 campaign website, "Meet Dan," accessed September 13, 2024, Nebraska Examiner, "Omaha steamfitter/union leader Dan Osborn to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer," September 21, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Nebraska in 2024.

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 completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Deb Fischer

October 10, 2024

September 27, 2024

September 14, 2024

View more ads here:

YouTube

Dan Osborn

View more ads here:

Facebook

Satellite ads

This section includes a selection of campaign advertisements released by satellite groups. If you are aware of other satellite ads that should be included, please email us.

Heartland Resurgence Action

Heartland Resurgence Action aired an ad opposing Osborn. To view the ad, click here.

Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety

Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety aired an ad supporting Osborn. To view the ad, click here.

Retire Career Politicians

Retire Career Politicians aired an ad supporting Osborn.

August 8, 2024

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.^[16] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."^[17] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.

FiveThirtyEight

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.^[18]
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.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Nebraska, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Likely Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Likely Republican	Lean Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Likely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Likely Republican	Likely 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.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Deb Fischer

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Deb Fischer	Republican Party	$8,687,977	$9,174,382	$25,212	As of December 31, 2024
Arron Kowalski	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Kerry Eddy	Legal Marijuana Now Party	$17,766	$15,216	$1,472	As of September 30, 2024
Kenneth Peterson	Legal Marijuana Now Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Dan Osborn	Nonpartisan	$15,129,102	$15,094,300	$34,803	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.

As of Oct. 28, 2024, the two major party candidates had the seventh smallest difference in terms of total money raised between major party Senate candidates and the fifth smallest difference in terms of total spending. Click here to learn more.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[22]^[23]^[24]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Deb Fischer Dan Osborn	OpenSecrets Federal Election Commission

Noteworthy events

Legal Marijuana Now Party decides not file a candidate (2024)

In September 2024, the Legal Marijuana Now Party decided to not put a replacement candidate on the ballot for Nebraska's U.S. Senate election after Kerry Eddy, the candidate who advanced from the party's primary, dropped out in July.^[4] Eddy defeated Kenneth Peterson in the May primary 70.8% to 29.2%. Following her primary win, Eddy said she would drop out if she thought Osborn, who she said supported legalizing marijuana, was more likely to beat Fischer in the general election.^[14] In July, Eddy's campaign conducted a poll that predicted Osborn receiving more support than her.^[14] On July 30, Eddy withdrew from the race and endorsed Osborn.^[14]

After Eddy withdrew, the Legal Marijuana Now Party's chairman, Mark Elworth Jr., said he believed Eddy ran in the primary with the intention of dropping out and supporting Osborn.^[14] Eddy said she ran with the intention of continuing her campaign to the general election but withdrew because of polling results.^[14]

Under Nebraska state law, the Legal Marijuana Now Party had the option to submit a new candidate. The party held a convention on August 14 to decide whether or not to name a candidate to replace Eddy.^[4] Before the convention, Elworth announced that the party adopted a measure that prohibited supporters of Eddy and Osborn from participating.^[4] Following the convention, the treasurer for Eddy's campaign, John Cartier, sent Elworth a letter saying filing a replacement candidate would be illegal because of the party's measure on limiting convention participation and that he would sue if the party did so.^[4] Elworth said the party decided not to file a new candidate in order to avoid a lawsuit.^[4]

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

Statewide elections
State partisanship

Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in Nebraska and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Nebraska, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Nebraska's 1st	Mike Flood	Republican	R+9
Nebraska's 2nd	Don Bacon	Republican	Even
Nebraska's 3rd	Adrian Smith	Republican	R+29

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Nebraska^[25]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Nebraska's 1st	43.3%	54.3%
Nebraska's 2nd	52.2%	45.8%
Nebraska's 3rd	23.1%	74.9%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 53.4% of Nebraskans lived in one of the state's 90 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 46.2% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Douglas and Lancaster. Overall, Nebraska was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Nebraska following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Nebraska county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	90	53.4%
Trending Democratic	2	46.2%
Trending Republican	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	2	46.2%
Total voted Republican	91	53.8%

Historical voting trends

Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2020)

6 Democratic wins
25 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
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

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Nebraska

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Nebraska.

U.S. Senate election results in Nebraska
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	62.7%	24.4%
2018	57.7%	38.6%
2014	64.4%	31.5%
2012	57.8%	42.2%
2008	57.5%	40.1%
Average	60.0	35.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Nebraska

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Nebraska.

Gubernatorial election results in Nebraska
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	59.2%	36.0%
2018	59.0%	41.0%
2014	57.2%	39.2%
2010	73.9%	26.1%
2006	73.4%	24.5%
Average	66.4	31.7

See also: Party control of Nebraska state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Nebraska's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Nebraska, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jim Pillen
Lieutenant Governor	Joe Kelly
Secretary of State	Bob Evnen
Attorney General	Mike Hilgers

State legislature

Nebraska State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	16
	Republican Party	32
	Independent	0
	Vacancies	1
	Other	0
Total		49

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six 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
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
Senate	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The table below details demographic data in Nebraska and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Nebraska
	Nebraska	United States
Population	1,961,504	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	76,814	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	81.8%	65.9%
Black/African American	4.8%	12.5%
Asian	2.5%	5.8%
Native American	0.9%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Other (single race)	3.5%	6%
Multiple	6.3%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	11.8%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.9%	89.1%
College graduation rate	33.5%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$71,722	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	6.7%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**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.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Nebraska in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nebraska, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Signature formula	Filing fee	Filing fee formula	Filing deadline	Source
Nebraska	U.S. Senate	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	N/A	$1,740.00	1% of annual salary	Incumbent: 2/15/2024 Non-incumbent: 3/1/2024	Source
Nebraska	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	4,000	Fixed number	$1,740.00	1% of annual salary	8/1/2024	Source