Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
United States Senate election in Nebraska (May 15, 2018 Republican primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 19
- Early voting: Oct. 9 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time
2020 →
← 2014
|
| U.S. Senate, Nebraska |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 1, 2018 |
| Primary: May 15, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Deb Fischer (Republican) |
| 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 |
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, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd Nebraska elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
A Republican Party primary election took place on May 15, 2018, in Nebraska to determine which Republican would run in the state's November 6, 2018, general election.
One Republican ran for the seat. This page focuses on the Republican primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.
Seeking her second term in office, incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer was not expected to face a competitive primary. She was elected to office in 2012 by 16 points and reported $1.8 million cash on hand at the end of the second quarter of 2017.[1]
Candidates and election results
Incumbent Deb Fischer defeated Todd Watson, Jack Heidel, Jeffrey Lynn Stein, and Dennis Macek in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska on May 15, 2018.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Deb Fischer | 75.8 | 128,157 |
 | Todd Watson | 11.6 | 19,661 | |
 | Jack Heidel | 5.6 | 9,413 | |
| Jeffrey Lynn Stein | 3.8 | 6,380 | ||
| Dennis Macek | 3.2 | 5,483 | ||
| Total votes: 169,094 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Campaign contributions
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly October 2017 reports. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of September 30, 2017.[2]
Republicans
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Nebraska heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2014 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Nebraska.
- Republicans held all three U.S. House seats in Nebraska.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Republicans held six of 10 state executive positions and the remaining four positions were held by nonpartisan officials.
- The governor of Nebraska was Republican Pete Ricketts.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the Nebraska unicameral with a 30-16 majority.
Trifecta status
- Nebraska was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the state government. Pete Ricketts (R) served as governor and Republicans controlled the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: Nebraska elections, 2018
Nebraska held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- Three U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Four lower state executive positions
- 24 out of 49 state Senate seats
- Municipal elections in Douglas and Lancaster Counties
Demographics
| Demographic data for Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,893,765 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 76,824 | 3,531,905 |
| 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. | ||
As of July 2017, Nebraska had a population of approximately 1,920,000 people, with its three largest cities being Omaha (pop. est. 450,000), Lincoln (pop. est. 280,000), and Bellevue (pop. est. 54,000).[3][4]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Nebraska from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Nebraska Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Nebraska every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Nebraska 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Donald Trump |
58.7% |  Hillary Clinton |
33.7% | 25.0% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
59.8% | Barack Obama |
38.0% | 21.8% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
56.5% | Barack Obama |
41.6% | 14.9% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
65.9% | John Kerry |
32.7% | 33.2% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
62.2% | Al Gore |
33.3% | 28.9% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Nebraska from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Nebraska 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Ben Sasse |
64.3% | Dave Domina |
31.5% | 32.8% |
| 2012 | Deb Fischer |
57.8% | Bob Kerrey |
42.2% | 15.6% |
| 2008 | Mike Johanns |
57.5% | Scott Kleeb |
40.1% | 17.4% |
| 2006 | Ben Nelson |
63.9% | Pete Ricketts |
36.1% | 27.8% |
| 2002 | Chuck Hagel |
82.3% | Charlie Matulka |
14.6% | 67.7% |
| 2000 | Ben Nelson |
51.1% | Don Stenberg |
48.9% | 2.2% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Nebraska.
| Election results (Governor), Nebraska 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Pete Ricketts |
57.2% | Chuck Hassebrook |
39.2% | 18.0% |
| 2010 | Dave Heineman |
73.9% | Mike Meister |
26.1% | 47.8% |
| 2006 | Dave Heineman |
73.4% | David Hahn |
24.5% | 48.9% |
| 2002 | Mike Johanns |
68.7% | Stormy Dean |
27.5% | 41.2% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Nebraska in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Nebraska 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2014 | 2 |
66.7% | 1 |
33.3% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2010 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2006 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2004 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2002 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2002 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls the state legislature and the governor's office.
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.
See also
- United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2018
- United States Senate election in Nebraska (May 15, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate elections, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ FEC, "2018 House and Senate Campaign Finance for Nebraska," accessed October 18, 2017
- ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission," accessed November 5, 2017
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Nebraska," accessed January 9, 2018
- ↑ Nebraska Demographics, "Nebraska Cities by Population," accessed January 9, 2018
