The 2018 Nebraska elections were held on November 6, 2018. All of Nebraska's executive were up for election, as well as a

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

seat, all three of Nebraska's seats in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, half of the seats in the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

, and seats on the

Nebraska Public Service Commission The Nebraska Public Service Commission regulates railroads, household goods and passenger carriers, telephone companies, grain warehouses and construction of manufactured housing. History The first iteration of the Public Service Commission was ...

, the State Board of Education, and the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

United States Senate

Incumbent Republican Senator

Deb Fischer Debra Lynelle Fischer (; born March 1, 1951) is an American politician and former educator serving as the senior United States senator from Nebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Fischer is the third woman t ...

ran for re-election to a second term. She defeated former Lancaster County Commissioner Jane Raybould, the Democratic nominee, in the general election with 58% of the vote.

United States House of Representatives

All three Republican members of the

from Nebraska ran for re-election. All three won re-election. Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska by district:

Governor and lieutenant governor

Incumbent Republican Governor

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Part ...

ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged in the general election by State Senator Bob Krist, the Democratic nominee. Ricketts defeated Krist with 59% of the vote.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Republican Secretary of State declined to run for re-election to a fifth term.

Bob Evnen Robert Barnett Evnen (born 1952) is an American attorney and Republican politician in the state of Nebraska. He is the 27th Secretary of State of Nebraska, serving since 2019. Legal career Evnen graduated from Michigan State University with a ...

, an attorney and former member of the State Board of Education, won the Republican primary against administrative assistant Debra Terrell, with 59% of the vote. In the general election, he was opposed by Spencer Danner, the former head of the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Human Rights and Relations Department. Evnen defeated Tanner with 61% of the vote.

Republican primary

Candidates

, attorney and former member of the State Board of Education * Debra Terrell, administrative assistant

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Spencer Danner, consultant, former head of the

Human Rights and Relations Department

Results

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts

Incumbent Republican Auditor

Charlie Janssen Charlie Janssen (born January 15, 1971) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, Jansen served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2009 to 2014; in 2014, he was elected Nebraska Auditor of Pub ...

ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged in the general election by

librarian Jane Skinner. During the campaign, the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

'' reported that, during a three-month investigation, Janssen repeatedly took "three-hour beer drinking lunches at a Lincoln sports bar," prompting calls from the

Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party (NDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the M ...

that he resign. Ultimately, though Janssen won re-election, it was by the thinnest margin of any statewide Republican candidate.

Republican primary

Candidates

, incumbent Auditor of Accounts

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Jane Skinner,

librarian

Results

General election

State Treasurer

Incumbent Republican State Treasurer

Don Stenberg Don Stenberg (born September 30, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Nebraska Attorney General, Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Nebraska State Treasurer, Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019 ...

was unable to seek a third consecutive term. State Senator

John Murante John Murante (born February 6, 1982) is an American politician who served as the 44th Nebraska State Treasurer from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was elected to the unicameral Nebraska Legislature from 2013 until ...

defeated public accountant Taylor Royal to win the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election.

Republican primary

Candidates

, state senator * Taylor Royal, public accountant,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

candidate for mayor of Omaha

Results

General election

Attorney General

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson ran for re-election to a second term. He won the Republican primary unopposed and was originally set to face Democratic nominee Evangelos Argyrakis, an Omaha-area attorney. However, after Argyrakis won the primary unopposed, he was arrested for strangulation after an altercation involving his father, and he dropped out of the race. Though Democrats originally planned on replacing Argyrakis on the ballot, they ultimately did not do so, and Peterson was re-elected unopposed.

Republican primary

Candidates

* Doug Peterson, incumbent attorney general

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

* Evangelos Argyrakis,

attorney

Results

General election

Public Service Commission

District 1

Incumbent Republican Commissioner Frank E. Landis declined to seek a sixth term. State Senator

Dan Watermeier Dan Watermeier (born May 29, 1961) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission from the 1st district. He was elected in 2018 and began his term in 2019, succeeding Frank E. Landis. Prior to h ...

ran in the Republican primary against former Cass County Commissioner Ron Nolte and Scott Smathers, the executive director of the Nebraska Sportsmen's Foundation. Community organizer Christa Yoakum and software developer John Atkeison both ran in the Democratic primary. Watermeier won the Republican primary in a landslide, winning 59% of the vote, while Yoakum defeated Atkeison with 77% of the vote. In the general election, Watermeier and Yoakum took opposite positions on whether the Commission should ultimately approve the controversial

Keystone XL pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010, formerly owned by TC Energy. It is now owned by South Bow, following TC Energy's spin off of its liquids business into a separate publi ...

, with Watermeier supporting the project and Yoakum opposing it. Watermeier ended up narrowly defeating Yoakum with 52% of the vote.

Republican primary

=Candidates

= * Ron Nolte, former Cass County commissioner * Scott Smathers, executive director of the Nebraska Sportsmen's Foundation *

, state senator

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * John Atkeison, software developer * Christa Yoakum, community organizer

=Results

General election

District 3

Incumbent Republican Commissioner

Tim Schram Tim Schram (born October 20, 1961) is an American Republican politician currently serving as a member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission from the 3rd district. He was first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2012, 2018, and 2024, making hi ...

ran for re-election to a third term. He and his Democratic opponent, retired business executive Mike Forsythe, were both unopposed in their respective primary elections. Schram defeated Forsythe by a wide margin, winning 62% of the vote.

Republican primary

=Candidates

= *

, incumbent Public Service commissioner

=Results

Democratic primary

=Candidates

= * Mike Forsythe, retired business executive

=Results

General election

State Board of Education

District 5

Incumbent board member Patricia H. Timm ran for another term. She was challenged by retired teacher Maris Bentley, who founded a conservative advocacy group, Nebraskans for Founders' Values, which opposed changes made to the

Omaha Public Schools Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska, United States. This public school district serves a diverse community of about 52,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha. Its distric ...

sex education curriculum. Timm led Bentley in the nonpartisan primary with 70% of the vote and defeated her in a landslide in the general election, winning 63% of the vote.

Candidates

* Maris Bentley, retired

Plattsmouth Plattsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,620 at the 2020 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, just north of what is now Main Str ...

teacher * Patricia H. Timm, incumbent board member

Primary election results

General election results

District 6

Incumbent board member Maureen Nickels was unopposed for another term.

Candidates

* Maureen Nickels, incumbent board member

Primary election results

General election results

District 7

Incumbent board member Molly O'Holleran declined to seek another term. Robin Stevens, the former superintendent of Schuyler Public Schools and O'Holleran's

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

opponent, ran to succeed her and won unopposed.

Candidates

* Robin R. Stevens, former superintendent of Schuyler Public Schools,

candidate for board

Primary election results

General election results

District 8

Incumbent board member Pat McPherson ran for re-election. He was challenged by retired teacher Bob Meyers, who ran for the position in

, and Deborah Neary, the Executive Director of the Midlands Mentoring Partnership. During McPherson's term on the board, he attracted controversy over a post on a defunct blog that he ran that referred to former President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

as a "half breed." McPherson denied that he authored the post and disavowed it, keeping a low profile on the board thereafter. Neary emerged as the frontrunner, winning 51% of the vote in the primary to McPherson's 28%. In the ensuing general election, Neary defeated McPherson with 59% of the vote.

Candidates

* Pat McPherson, incumbent board member * Bob Meyers, retired teacher,

candidate for board * Deborah Neary, executive director of the Midlands Mentoring Partnership

Primary election results

General election results

Board of Regents

Incumbent Regent

Jim Pillen James Douglas Pillen (born December 31, 1955) is an American politician, veterinarian, and livestock producer serving as the 41st and current governor of Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Pillen served on the University of ...

was unopposed for re-election.

District 3

Candidates

, incumbent regent

Primary election results

General election results

District 4

Incumbent Regent Bob Whitehouse declined to seek re-election. Two Democrats, attorney Elizabeth O'Connor and adjunct professor Larry Bradley, who ran for this seat in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, ran to succeed him. O'Connor defeated Bradley in a landslide.

Candidates

* Larry Bradley, adjunct professor at the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

, member of the Papio Missouri Natural Resources District,

regent candidate * Elizabeth O'Connor, attorney

Primary election results

General election results

District 5

Incumbent Regent Rob Schafer ran for re-election. He was challenged by former Regent Robert J. Prokop and photographer Joshua Redwine. Schafer and Prokop advanced to the general election from the primary, winning 43% and 24% of the vote, respectively. Schafer defeated Prokop in the general election by a wide margin, winning 61% of the vote to Prokop's 39%.

Candidates

* Robert J. Prokop, former regent * Joshua Redwine,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

photographer * Rob Schafer, incumbent regent

Primary election results

General election results

District 8

Incumbent Regent

Hal Daub Harold John Daub Jr. (born April 23, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Nebraska who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives and as the 48th Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. In 2012, Daub was elected to the Board of R ...

, the former Mayor of

and former Congressman, ran for re-election to a second term on the Board of Regents. He was challenged by Barbara Weitz, a retired faculty member at the

, and attorney Ryan Wilkins. Weitz and Daub placed first and second in the primary election and advanced to the general election, where Weitz narrowly defeated Daub with 53% of the vote.

Candidates

, incumbent regent * Barbara Weitz, retired social work professor at the

* Ryan Wilkins, attorney

Primary election results

General election results

References

{{2018 United States elections 2018 Nebraska elections

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...