 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Exon: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Shasteen: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Nebraska |
|---|
 |
 Government |
The 1978 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Carl Curtis decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. In the elections, Democratic nominee J. James Exon won the open seat.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. James Exon | 334,096 | 67.66% | +20.82% | |
| Republican | Donald Eugene Shasteen | 159,708 | 32.34% | -20.82% | |
| Majority | 174,390 | 35.32% | +28.99% | ||
| Turnout | 493,802 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
John James Exon was an American businessman and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Exon never lost an election, and was the only Democrat ever to hold Nebraska's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. He was elected governor in 1970, re-elected in 1974, elected to the Senate in 1978, and re-elected to that seat in 1984 and 1990. He is the only Nebraskan other than George W. Norris, the architect of Nebraska's unicameral legislature, to win five consecutive statewide elections.
The 95th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1979, during the final weeks of Gerald Ford's presidency and the first two years of Jimmy Carter's presidency.
The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
The 1990 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the United States House of Representatives on November 6, 1990, to elect members to serve in the 102nd United States Congress. They occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term. As in most midterm elections, the President's Republican Party lost seats to the Democratic Party, slightly increasing the Democratic majority in the chamber. It was a rare instance, however, in which both major parties lost votes to third parties such as the Libertarian Party as well as independent candidates.
Edward Zorinsky was an American politician who served as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate from 1976 until his death in 1987. He represented Nebraska and had previously served as mayor of Omaha, elected as a Republican. He was the first Jew elected to statewide office in Nebraska.
Don Stenberg is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was legal counsel to Governor Charles Thone from 1979 to 1983.
Harold John Daub Jr. 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 Regents of the University of Nebraska system. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The 1996 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. James Exon decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican nominee Chuck Hagel won the open seat by 14 points, defeating incumbent Democratic governor Ben Nelson. Nelson would later be elected to Nebraska's other U.S. Senate seat in 2000 when Bob Kerrey retired and served alongside Hagel until 2009, when Hagel left the Senate after retiring.
The 1990 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 5, 1990. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. James Exon won re-election to a third term. As of 2023, this was the last time the Democrats won the Class 2 Senate seat in Nebraska.
The 1984 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. James Exon won re-election to a second term.
The 1998 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Term limits prevented incumbent Governor Ben Nelson, a Democrat, from seeking a third term in office. Republican nominee Mike Johanns, Mayor of Lincoln, defeated Democratic nominee, attorney Bill Hoppner. As of 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election in Nebraska in which the margin of victory was within single digits. Incidentally, Johanns would later serve in the United States Senate with Nelson from 2009 to 2015.
Gerald T. Whelan was an American politician who served as the 30th lieutenant governor of Nebraska from 1975 to 1979.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell successfully sought re-election, defeating Republican James G. Reynolds.
The 1900 United States elections elected the 57th United States Congress. The election was held during the Fourth Party System. Republicans retained control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress, while third parties suffered defeats.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1978, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee. Two-term popular incumbent Republican U.S. Senator, Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, ran for re-election against first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind. Baker won re-election in the general election.
The 1978 United States Senate election in New Hampshire took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic Senator Thomas J. McIntyre ran for re-election to a third term but was defeated by Republican Gordon J. Humphrey.
The 1978 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, and featured U.S. Representative Charles Thone, a Republican, defeating Democratic nominee, Lieutenant Governor Gerald T. Whelan. Incumbent Governor J. James Exon, a Democrat, was barred from seeking a third term.
The 1974 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974, and featured incumbent Governor James Exon, a Democrat, defeating Republican nominee, state Senator Richard D. Marvel. Independent state Senator Ernie Chambers also captured 5% of the vote as a write-in candidate. This was the first gubernatorial election in Nebraska in which the nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor ran as a single ticket in the general election, though they were chosen in separate primary elections.
The number of elections in Nebraska varies by year. Nebraska has a gubernatorial election every four years. Members of the state's United States congressional delegation run for election or re-election at the times set out in the United States Constitution. Primary elections assist in choosing political parties' nominees for various positions. On a regional basis, elections also cover municipal issues. In addition, a special election can occur at any time.
