State Legislative Election Watch- 2026 Nebraska Primary Preview
Covering all of the state legislative primaries going down in Nebraska tomorrow!
STATE LEGISLATIVE ELECTION WATCH- May 11th, 2026
INTRO:
Hello everyone and welcome to Uncrewed’s State Legislative Election Watch! I’m Uncrewed/Chris and this is your one-stop-shop to everything you need to know about state legislative elections from around the country. We’ve got another two states holding primaries tomorrow in Nebraska and West Virginia, so we’re going to start our look at the state legislative primaries in those states today with Nebraska! So, without further ado, let’s get to it!
BACKGROUND:
Nebraska is very unique when it comes to state legislative elections. Why? Because all of their elections are nonpartisan. All candidates run on the same ballot in the primary with no political affiliations listed and the top two vote-getters advance to November. Candidates are still registered with parties though, so I’ll mention those affiliations when they come up.
SD-02 (Cass/eastern Lancaster Counties, Trump+25) (R-Held):
With Republican-aligned incumbent Robert Clements term-limited, three candidates are running to replace him in this deeply Republican district: Republican-aligned US Air Force veteran Dean Helmick, Democratic-aligned teacher Caitlin Knutson, and Democratic-aligned college student Jayden Speed.
Helmick is a self-professed “commonsense conservative,” but his campaign platform is a lot more right-wing than that. He supports cutting taxes, securing the southern border (the one with Mexico, not the one with Kansas), and promising to “protect women and girls’ from radical leftist policies.” It’s transphobia, in case it wasn’t clear. He’s backed by NE-01 Congressman Mike Flood, the Cass County Republican Party (which he used to chair), and several local elected officials. Knutson is running as a moderate, promising to support “fiscal responsibility,” carefully regulate technology, and increase funding for public education. She’s backed by a slew of local unions, most notably the Nebraska Education Association and the AFL-CIO. Speed is running as a standard Democrat, wanting to lower property taxes for working Nebraskans, increase funding for public education, and build more affordable housing. He’s backed by the last Democrat to represent Nebraska in the US Senate, Ben Nelson, several state legislators, several local elected officials, and several progressive groups.
With this being a deeply Republican district (and Helmick having the conservative lane to himself), let’s assume he takes one of the two spots in November. This leaves Knutson and Speed to fight over the second spot. Knutson has a solid financial advantage over Speed ($25k to $11k per the last campaign finance reports) and has good union support. However, Speed has some solid institutional support. Ultimately, I’m going to go with Knutson to grab that second spot and face Helmick in November, but I can very easily see Speed getting it instead.
SD-08 (East-central Omaha, Harris+37) (IND-Held):
Despite Nebraska’s Legislature being technically nonpartisan, there’s only one truly Independent legislator in the chamber, Megan Hunt. She’s not a centrist though, she was a Democratic-aligned democratic socialist who left the party in 2023 because “the political dysfunction is extreme and at the national level, the parties are ideologically bankrupt.” She’s term-limited this year though, so three candidates are running to replace her in this deeply Democratic district: Democratic-aligned nonprofit official Erin Feichtinger, Democratic-aligned attorney Josh Livingston, and Independent pastor Terry Brewer.
Feichtinger is a liberal, touting her support for raising the minimum wage, expanding funding for public education, and protecting the LGBTQ+ community. She’s backed by outgoing Senator Hunt, several other state legislators, several local elected officials, and several local unions (most notably the AFL-CIO). Livingston is a self-proclaimed progressive, wanting to protect green spaces, expand clean energy production, and fight for unions. He’s endorsed by the Teamsters. Brewer is running on a vague platform, promising to promote “unity,” foster “diversity and inclusivity,” and promote “economic development.” With her institutional support, Feichtinger should have a spot in November locked down. For the second spot, I’m going to give the nod to Livingston, as he does have a bit of union support and has a huge financial advantage over Brewer.
SD-12 (Southern Omaha, Harris+2) (R-Held):
Republican-aligned incumbent Merv Riepe is facing two challengers in this ultra-competitive district: Democratic-aligned businessman Thomas Kastrup and Democratic-aligned nurse Christy Knorr.
Riepe, a frequent party-bucker, is running as a moderate. He supports lowering property taxes, supporting law enforcement, and increasing investments in higher education. Perhaps in a sign of how big of a fight he’ll have in November, there is nowhere on his campaign website that mentions his party affiliation. Instead, he calls himself an “independent results-driven leader.” Kastrup is running as a liberal, focusing on cutting costs, “fighting corruption,” and expanding access to childcare. Knorr is running on a similar platform, wanting to lower costs, protect the LGBTQ+ community, and build more affordable housing. Riepe has one of the two spots in November locked down by virtue of being the only Republican here and incumbency, so it’s between Kastrup and Knorr for that last spot. I’m going to go with Kastrup because he has a huge financial advantage over Knorr ($40k to $5k).
SD-14 (Papillion/La Vista, Trump+9) (R-Held):
Republican-aligned incumbent/Legislature Speaker John Arch is term-limited leading to three candidates running to replace him in this Republican-leaning district: Republican-aligned firefighter Bill Bowes, Republican-aligned attorney Jay Jackson, and Democratic-aligned Papillion-La Vista School Board President SuAnn Witt.
Bowes calls himself a “common-sense conservative,” wanting to lower property taxes, support local law enforcement, and cut government spending. He’s backed by NE-01 Congressman Mike Flood, State Auditor Mike Foley, State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg, and several local elected officials. Jackson also calls himself a “common-sense conservative,” because no Republican running in Nebraska is clever enough to think of something different. Anyway, he wants to cut taxes & regulations, expand workforce development programs, and oppose abortion. He’s backed by NE-02 Congressman Don Bacon, La Vista Mayor Doug Kindig, and the Nebraska Firefighters Association. Finally, Witt is running as a moderate. She wants to lower healthcare costs, cut government spending, and expand workforce development programs. Witt should have a spot in November locked down solely because she’s the only Democrat in a district where Democrats usually break 40% of the vote. As for the other spot, it’s going to be very close between Bowes & Jackson, but I’m going to give the edge to Bowes based on his stronger institutional support.
SD-18 (Northern Omaha, Trump+2.5) (R-Held):
Republican-aligned incumbent Christy Armendariz is retiring from this ultra-competitive district, giving the Democrats a huge opportunity to further stop the creation of a Republican-aligned supermajority in Nebraska. That’s skipping ahead though, because we have to figure out who’s going to November first. There are three candidates running to replace Armendariz: Republican-aligned businessman Taylor Royal, Republican-aligned police officer Derek Schwartz, and Democratic-aligned businesswoman Jess Goldoni.
Royal is calling himself a (wouldn’t you guess it) a “common-sense conservative.” Seriously Nebraska GOP, make like a group chat or something and tell your candidates to be more original with describing themselves. Anyway, he wants to cut taxes, expand workforce development programs, and support law enforcement. He’s backed by NE-02 Congressman Don Bacon, former Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, and outgoing Senator Armendariz. Schwartz is running to his right, supporting cutting taxes, shrinking the size of the government, and “protecting girls’ sports.” He’s backed by several local elected officials, most notably the sheriffs of both Douglas & Sarpy Counties. Goldoni is running as a moderate, promising to lower taxes, expand workforce development programs, and “end government waste.” I’m going to give the nod to Goldoni & Royal, with Goldoni getting a spot thanks to being the only Democrat and Royal getting the other spot thanks to his institutional support advantage over Schwartz.
SD-20 (South-central Omaha, Harris+11) (D-Held):
Democratic-aligned incumbent John Fredrickson was the only Democratic-aligned candidate to flip a district blue in 2022 and now he’s facing two opponents in his first bid for re-election in this Democratic-leaning district: Republican-aligned US Air Force veteran Chris Anderson and Republican-aligned businessman Dan Witt.
Fredrickson is running as a standard Democrat, wanting to expand mental healthcare access, expand access to childcare, and improve Nebraska’s economic development. Anderson is running as a standard Republican, promising to cut taxes, cut regulations, and expand funding for law enforcement. Witt is running as a more right-wing conservative, promising to stop “gender ideology” from being “imposed” on minors, cut “wasteful spending,” and oppose abortion. Fredrickson obviously has a spot in November secured, but the race for second will be close. Ultimately, I’ll give the nod to Anderson solely because he has better fundraising than Witt, but neither candidate has really broken out of the pack here.
SD-28 (Central Lincoln, Harris+32) (D-Held):
With Democratic-aligned incumbent Jane Raybould retiring, three candidates are running to replace her in this deeply Democratic district: Democratic-aligned former State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks, Democratic-aligned businessman Chad Kulig, and Independent civil servant Colby Woodson.
Pansing Brooks, who you may remember from her runs for NE-01 in 2022, is running as a standard Democrat. She wants to expand funding for public education, fight for “fair wages,” and promises to “uphold rights.” She’s backed by the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club. Kulig is a complete ghost candidate, with no campaign presence online or in the media at all. Woodson also doesn’t have much of a campaign presence online, but he does want to build more housing, invest in renewable energy, and lower costs. Pansing Brooks is almost guaranteed a spot in November (and will almost certainly win easily against either Kulig or Woodson), but I’m going to go with Woodson to get the second spot. Pure shot in the dark there because those two are essentially ghost candidates.
SD-34 (Hamilton/Merrick/Nance/eastern Hall Counties, Trump+54) (R-Held):
Republican-aligned incumbent Loren Lippincott is facing two opponents in this deeply Republican district: Republican-aligned farmer Arron Kowalski and Democratic-aligned businessman Ben Blodgett.
Lippincott is running as a conservative (not common-sense though, so props to him for being original), touting his votes to protect the 2nd Amendment, cut property taxes, and restrict abortion. He’s endorsed by the NRA and the anti-abortion Nebraska Right to Life group. Kowalski, who has run for NE-03 multiple times and took 20% of the vote in the Republican US Senate primary against Deb Fischer in 2024, is running as a moderate. He’s mostly focusing on diversifying Nebraska’s economic output (touting efforts to build more nuclear energy plants specifically), opposing spending cuts, and opposing engaging in the culture war. He’s also appeared several times on progressive radio show host Sam Seder’s show Majority Report, with several pleasant conversations with Seder. Check them out if you get the chance if you want to know more about Kowalski. Blodgett is also running as a moderate, promising to expand workforce development programs, protect farmers, and improve local infrastructure. Lippincott has a spot in November locked down, but the race for second will be interesting. Will name recognition carry Kowalski to November? Or will Blodgett’s Democratic-aligned status get him to November? I think it’s the latter and Blodgett joins Lippincott on the November ballot.
SD-38 (Southern Nebraska, Trump+67) (R-Held):
With Republican-aligned incumbent Dave Murman term-limited, a whopping (by Nebraska standards) five candidates are running to replace him in this deeply Republican district: Republican-aligned Sutton Mayor Tim Anderson, Republican-aligned US Army veteran Joe Capps, Republican-aligned businesswoman Janell Anderson Ehrke, Republican-aligned paramedic Wes Wilmot, and Democratic-aligned community activist Melanie Knight.
Anderson is running as a conservative, focusing on cutting property taxes, protecting the 2nd Amendment, and increasing “parental involvement” in schools. He’s backed by several local elected officials. Capps, who briefly suspended his campaign for a few weeks before unsuspending it, is running as a right-winger. He calls himself a “statesman for the digital age,” wanting to introduce a DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency, one of many Elon Musk disasters) for Nebraska, strengthen “election integrity,” and slash income/property taxes. He’s backed by a few grassroots conservative groups. Anderson Ehrke calls herself a conservative, but doesn’t have much of a platform outside of touting her farming bonafides. That did get her a few local endorsements and the backing of the Nebraska Farm Bureau though. Wilmot calls himself a “conservative fighter,” who supports cutting property taxes, protecting farmers, and defending the 2nd Amendment. He’s backed by former State Attorney General Don Stenberg. Finally, Knight is running as a standard rural Democrat, promising to expand access to rural healthcare, protect farmers, and stop the Nebraska Legislature from overturning ballot measures passed by citizens. The two Andersons lead the pack in fundraising and I think that, alongside their institutional support, means that they’ll take the top two spots here. I could see Capps getting a spot thanks to his grassroots support, but I think Anderson’s local support (plus being Mayor of Sutton) and Anderson Ehrke’s support from the Nebraska Farm Bureau puts them on a collision course for November.
SD-41 (Central Nebraska, Trump+64.5) (R-Held):
With appointed Republican-aligned incumbent Fred Meyer not running for a full term after he was appointed to succeed the previous scandal-plagued Republican-aligned incumbent Dan McKeon, three candidates are running in this special election for this deeply Republican district: Republican-aligned businessman Joe Johnson, Republican-aligned State Board of Health member Jacob Sikes, and Democratic-aligned policy analyst Jeremy Heneger.
Johnson is running as a standard Republican, focusing on reducing property taxes, empowering local control, and supporting farmers. He’s backed by Governor Jim Pillen, outgoing Senator Meyer, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Sikes is running as a generic Republican, wanting to improve rural infrastructure, freeze property tax increases for two years, and improve community engagement. Heneger is running as a liberal, wanting to raise taxes on billionaires and improve public school funding. Johnson should have a spot locked down and, with how Republican this district is, I think Sikes will join him in November.
SD-48 (Scotts Bluff/Kimball/Banner Counties, Trump+51) (R-Held):
Republican-aligned incumbent Brian Hardin is facing three challengers in his bid for a second term in this deeply Republican district: Republican-aligned teacher Kurt Zadina, and a husband-and-wife duo of Republican-aligned attorney Jessica Landers, and Independent US Army veteran Sam Landers.
Hardin is running as a conservative, touting his efforts to restrict abortion, fight for farmers, and lower taxes. He’s backed by the NRA and the anti-abortion Nebraska Right to Life group. He also attracted controversy earlier this year for acting like a real pervert towards SD-08 Senator Megan Hunt:
(Nebraska Public Media)
If you looked up the word “ick” in the dictionary, that exchange would be there. Anyway, Zadina is running as a moderate, wanting to increase funding for public education, improve local infrastructure, and oppose school vouchers. Jessica Landers is a standard Republican, supporting cutting “wasteful” government spending and cracking down on crime. Samuel Landers is running as a moderate, wanting to expand access to mental healthcare, mandate all government agencies receive an in-depth audit before they are given a single cent in funding, and protect ranchers. Fun fact about Jessica & Sam, with them being husband and wife, they share a campaign website! The couple that runs for office together, stays together (don’t look up the statistics on that claim, because it’s probably not true). Anyway, Hardin should have a spot in November locked down by virtue of incumbency. As for who joins him? I’d say it’s a toss-up between Zadina and Jessica Landers. I’ll give the slight edge to Jessica Landers, but it’s really close.
And that’s it for this edition of Uncrewed’s State Legislative Election Watch. I’ll be back tomorrow to cover the primaries going down in West Virginia. Until then, I’ve been Uncrewed/Chris (you can follow me on Twitter @Uncrewed, same on Bluesky!) and don’t forget to stay awesome!