Nebraskans head to the polls as Democrats vote in primaries ahead of House and Senate races | US midterm elections 2026

Nebraska Democrats are optimistic about Republicans’ losses in the right-leaning Plains state; But their hopes are pinned on today’s Democratic primaries, which include accusations that the candidates are settling and Democrats are being inadvertently robbed of power.

The crowded Democratic primary in the state’s second congressional district, dubbed the “blue dot,” focused on concerns that if a state senator wins, the Republican governor would replace him with a Republican who would upend Nebraska’s divided electoral college voting system.

The region, which includes the state’s largest city, Omaha, best contestant A Democratic rebound is expected as the left tries to win back the U.S. House of Representatives during a midterm election cycle that is expected to be frustrating for Republicans.

And in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, both candidates face accusations that they are not real, as the best hope for a Republican loss in November comes from an independent candidate backed by state Democrats.

Second congressional district

Most US states use the winner-take-all method of awarding electoral college votes: the person who wins the entire state gets all the electoral college votes; this is the process by which the United States elects a president. But in Nebraska, each congressional district provides one electoral college vote. And in the “blue spot” of the second congressional district, Democrats won electoral college votes. fly from the last five elections, including Kamala Harris in 2024.

The state’s congressional delegation currently consists of three Republicans, but Rep. Don Bacon, who has held the second district seat since 2017, announced last year that he would not seek reelection, providing an opportunity for Democrats. Cook Political Report, election forecaster, says The district leans Democratic and is a “significant opportunity” for a purchase.

“It hasn’t been this competitive in over a generation,” says Randy Adkins, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He told Nebraska Public Media.

Republicans have cleared the field: Omaha city councilman Brinker Harding is the only one running on the right.

Six Democrats are running for the seat, with three seen as top candidates. State Senator John Cavanaugh is at the top several surveys compete. Denise Powell, a political organizer who founded an organization to help women in Nebraska run for office, has seen an influx of outside money supporting her candidacy. Crystal Rhoades, a county clerk with more than a decade of experience in local government, rounds out the list.

Republicans attempted to replace Nebraska’s electoral college voting process with a winner-takes-all method; Most recently, in 2025, that effort failed by two votes. If Cavanaugh wins the general election for the second district, Republican governor Jim Pillen will have the opportunity to appoint his replacement by 2028, which could give Republicans the numbers to reverse the “blue dot.”

The issue, for which Powell and Rhoades repeatedly criticized Cavanaugh, became the focus of the Democratic primary.

Senate primary

Democrats’ best hope of taking the U.S. Senate seat from Republicans in Nebraska lies with independent Dan Osborn. Osborn lost the 2024 race by six points to incumbent Deb Fischer and is running another race, this time against incumbent Republican Pete Ricketts.

Although Osborn is not a candidate in the Democratic primary, his presence in the general election is still prominent.

Cindy Burbank, a retired pharmacy technician, comes face to face with William Forbes, a pastor. voted for Trump And opposed abortion access. Burbank said he would drop out of the race if he won the primary, paving the way for a head-to-head showdown between Osborn and Ricketts. burbank he told the New York Times: “I will stay and leave until it becomes clear that I cannot win in November.”

Forbes faces accusations that he is a Ricketts factory designed to get Osborn’s votes if he reaches the generalship. Burbank’s campaign website says Osborn “deserves a fair chance against Ricketts” and claims that Ricketts knew he would lose to Osborn, so he ran a “fake” Democrat in the form of Forbes. The Ricketts campaign denied the allegations.

“This is why Ricketts is putting a facility in the Democratic primary… He knows a neck-and-neck race with Osborn is competitive and needs candidates on the ballot to pick up the votes,” Jane Kleeb, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic party, wrote on Twitter this week. “Vote ***Cindy Burbank*** for U.S. Senate so the candidate Ricketts placed in our Democratic primary does not advance.”

The state’s Democratic party supported Burbank in the primary election and Osborn in the general election.