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2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska
The 2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Pete Ricketts is running for re-election to his first full term in office.
The 2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Pete Ricketts is running for re-election to his first full term in office.
Primary elections were held on May 12, 2026. Dan Osborn is running as an independent. Democratic nominee Cindy Burbank has pledged to drop out of the general election in support of Osborn’s candidacy. The Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party is also fielding a candidate.
Nebraska has been represented in the U.S. Senate exclusively by Republicans since 2013. Pete Ricketts was appointed to the seat in 2023 after the resignation of Ben Sasse. He won the 2024 special election to serve out the remaining two years of Sasse's term.
Dan Osborn ran in the Class I Senate race in 2024 as an independent. The Nebraska Democratic Party acknowledged that a candidate from their party would not win, and endorsed Osborn's candidacy.
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Pete Ricketts, incumbent U.S. senator
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Todd Knobel, entrepreneur
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Eric Mortimore
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Debb Axtell Schultz
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Mac Stevens, realtor and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024
| Campaign finance reports as of April 18, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Ricketts (R) | $4,669,837 | $4,063,975 | $1,092,831 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 155,472 | 81.80% | |
| Republican | 14,873 | 7.83% | |
| Republican | 11,226 | 5.91% | |
| Republican | 4,989 | 2.62% | |
| Republican | 3,500 | 1.84% | |
| 190,060 | 100.00 |
Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said the party did not intend to recruit a candidate, similar to 2024. In August 2025, the party endorsed Osborn.
In March 2026, the party called for Democratic candidate William Forbes to withdraw, with Kleeb accusing him of trying to “trick voters” and opposing abortion access. She urged Democrats to support Osborn instead.
On March 17, 2026, Secretary of State of Nebraska Bob Evnen removed Cindy Burbank from the ballot following a complaint from Nebraska Republican Party that alleged she was not a good-faith candidate.
Burbank filed a lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court immediately following the removal. The following Thursday, March 19, 2026, a Lancaster County District Court judge dismissed Burbank's lawsuit. On March 23, 2026, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that Secretary Evnen missed a deadline to consider complaints and reinstated Burbank to the ballot.
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Cindy Burbank, retired pharmacy technician
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William Forbes, pastor
| Campaign finance reports as of April 18, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cindy Burbank (D) | $4,163 | $164 | $3,998 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 100,940 | 89.23% | |
| Democratic | 12,185 | 10.77% | |
| 113,125 | 100.00% |
- Dan Osborn, former president of BCTGM International Union Local 50G and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024
| Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Osborn (I) | $3,378,718 | $2,502,737 | $939,146 |
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Mike Marvin, former labor union official
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Earl Starkey, marijuana advocate
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Marijuana Now | 784 | 66.27% | |
| Legal Marijuana Now | 399 | 33.73% | |
| 1,183 | 100.00% |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections | Likely R | April 23, 2026 |
| The Cook Political Report | Likely R | April 13, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely R | March 27, 2026 |
| Race To The WH | Lean R | May 11, 2026 |
| Campaign finance reports as of May 13, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Ricketts (R) | $4,866,649 | $4,281,084 | $1,072,535 |
| Cindy Burbank (D) | $4,296 | $1,873 | $2,423 |
| Mike Marvin (LMN) | $9,390 | $5,403 | $3,987 |
| Dan Osborn (I) | $3,856,315 | $2,784,329 | $1,135,152 |
Pete Ricketts vs. Cindy Burbank
| Poll source | Date(s)administered | Samplesize | Marginof error | PeteRicketts (R) | CindyBurbank (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tavern Research (D) | May 8–11, 2026 | 1,165 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 48% | 39% | 13% |
Pete Ricketts vs. Dan Osborn
| Poll source | Date(s)administered | Samplesize | Marginof error | PeteRicketts (R) | DanOsborn (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tavern Research (D) | May 8–11, 2026 | 1,165 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 47% | 12% |
| Impact Research (D) | February 2–5, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 48% | 47% | 5% |
| Lake Research Partners (D) | December 11–17, 2025 | 900 (LV) | – | 48% | 47% | 5% |
| Lake Research Partners (D) | July 23–29, 2025 | 900 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 46% | 47% | 7% |
| Change Research (D) | March 28 – April 1, 2025 | 524 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 46% | 45% | 9% |
Partisan clients
Official campaign websites
- Cindy Burbank (D)
- Bill Forbes (D)
- Todd Knobel (R)
- Mike Marvin (LMN)
- Dan Osborn (I)
- Pete Ricketts (R)
- Debb Schultz (R)
- Mac Stevens (R)
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