Nebraska Voters Pick 2026 Nominees in Senate, House and Governor Primaries as 1.3 Million Are Registered
Updated
Updated · 10TV · May 11
Nebraska Voters Pick 2026 Nominees in Senate, House and Governor Primaries as 1.3 Million Are Registered
6 articles · Updated · 10TV · May 11
Nebraska voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose party nominees for U.S. Senate, House, governor, secretary of state and the unicameral Legislature, with polls closing statewide at 9 p.m. ET.
The marquee contest is the Democratic Senate primary, where Cindy Burbank and Bill Forbes each cast the other as a "fake" candidate in a fight that could shape whether independent Dan Osborn can mount a serious fall challenge to Republican Pete Ricketts.
Pete Ricketts, appointed in 2023 and elected in a 2024 special race, faces four GOP primary challengers but is already focused on Osborn, who lost to Deb Fischer by 7 points in 2024.
About 56,000 Republican ballots and 49,000 Democratic ballots had already been cast by Thursday, and Nebraska counties typically release most early and absentee votes in their first results.
The primaries also set the stage for a key House race in Omaha-based District 2, where Democrats are competing to replace retiring Republican Don Bacon in a seat central to their 2026 House hopes.
Can an independent candidate overcome Nebraska's partisan history to win a U.S. Senate seat?
Why is a congressional primary in Omaha attracting millions in outside spending?