2026 Nebraska gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 Nebraska gubernatorial election

←  2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →
Reporting	0% as of 8:00 PM CST
Nominee Jim Pillen Lynne Walz Party Republican Democratic Running mate Joe Kelly Ben Steffen   Nominee Brett Lindstrom Rick Beard Party America First Legal Marijuana NOW Running mate Mike Picard Keenya Barnes
County results
Incumbent Governor Jim Pillen Republican

The 2026 Nebraska gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican governor Jim Pillen is running for re-election to a second term.

Primary elections took place on May 12, 2026. ^[1] Pillen secured his party's nomination with 76% of the vote, while Democratic former state senator Lynne Walz secured her party's nomination with 91% of the vote.

Democrats have not won a gubernatorial election in Nebraska since 1994.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Pillen, incumbent governor (2023–present) ^[2]
  • Running mate: Joe Kelly, incumbent lieutenant governor (2023–present) ^[2]

Eliminated in primary

• Sal Holguin, car wash owner and Air Force veteran ^[3]
• Sheila Korth-Focken, former Randolph city administrator ^[4]
• Gary Rogge, retired farmer ^[5]
• Jacy Todd, CBD retail store owner ^[6]
• John Walz, candidate for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district in 2024 ^[5]

Declined

• Don Bacon, U.S. representative from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district (2017–present) ^[7]
• Charles Herbster, agribusiness executive and candidate for governor in 2014 and 2022 ^[8]
• Brett Lindstrom, former state senator from the 18th district (2015–2023), candidate for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2012, and candidate for governor in 2022 ^[9] (ran as an Independent, then as America First candidate) ^[10]

Endorsements

Jim Pillen

Executive branch officials

• Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present) ^[11]

Statewide officials

• Dave Heineman, former governor of Nebraska (2005–2015) ^[12]

Organizations

• State Troopers Association of Nebraska ^[12]

Results

Results by county:

  Pillen

•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   90-100%

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Pillen (incumbent)	142,301	75.4
	Republican	John Walz	18,066	9.6
	Republican	Sheila Korth-Focken	14,621	7.8
	Republican	Gary Rogge	6,986	3.7
	Republican	Jacy Todd	5,125	2.7
	Republican	Sal Holguin	1,612	0.9
Total votes			188,711	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Lynne Walz, former state senator from the 15th district (2017–2025) and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018 ^{[13] [14]}
  • Running mate: Ben Steffen, farmer ^[15]

Eliminated in primary

• Larry Marvin, USAF veteran ^[5]

Endorsements

Lynne Walz

U.S. senators

• Ben Nelson, former U.S. senator (2001–2013) and former governor of Nebraska (1991–1999) ^[16]

Results

Results by county:

  Walz

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   90-100%

  Marvin

•   60%

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lynne Walz	116,458	91.5
	Democratic	Larry Marvin	10,847	8.5
Total votes			127,305	100.0

Legal Marijuana NOW primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Rick Beard, private chef, winemaker, and former farmer ^[5]
  • Running mate: Keenya Barnes, Omaha Housing Authority commissioner ^[17]

Eliminated in primary

• James Charvat ^[5]

Results

Results by county:

  Beard

•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   90-100%

  Charvat

•   60-70%
•   90-100%

  Tie

  No Votes

Legal Marijuana Now primary ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Legal Marijuana NOW	Rick Beard	349	69.1
	Legal Marijuana NOW	James Charvat	156	30.9
Total votes			505	100.0

Third party and independent candidates

American First Party

Nominee

• Brett Lindstrom, former state senator from the 18th district (2015–2023), Republican candidate for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2012 and 2026, and Republican candidate for governor in 2022 ^[19]
  • Running mate: Mike Picard, U.S. Navy veteran ^[20]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [21]	Lean R	October 29, 2026
Decision Desk HQ [22]	Likely R	November 2, 2026
Fox News [23]	Likely R	November 1, 2026
Inside Elections [24]	Likely R	October 29, 2026
NBC News [25]	Lean R	November 2, 2026
RealClearPolitics [26]	Solid R	November 1, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball [27]	Likely R	November 2, 2026
Silver Bulletin [28]	Likely R	November 2, 2026

Post-primary endorsements

Lynne Walz (D)

Statewide officials

• Laura Kelly, governor of Kansas (2019–present) ^[29]

State legislators

• Mark Kolterman, state legislator from the 24th district (2017–2023) (Republican) ^[30]
• Tim Gragert, state legislator from the 40th district (2019–2023) (Republican) ^[31]
• John Stinner, state legislator from the 48th district (2015–2023) (Republican) ^[31]

• John S. McCollister, state legislator from the 20th district (2015–2023) (Republican) ^[32]

Jim Pillen (R)

State legislators

• Lou Ann Linehan, state legislator from the 39th district (2017–2025) ^[33]

Organizations

• Nebraska Farm Bureau ^[34]

Polling

Aggregate polls

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Jim Pillen (R)	Lynne Walz (D)	Other/ Undecided [a]	Margin
270toWin [35]	September 28 – October 29, 2026	November 1, 2026	47.4%	41.0%	11.6%	Pillen +6.4%
Decision Desk HQ [36]	through October 29, 2026	November 1, 2026	47.7%	42.3%	10.0%	Pillen +5.4%
FiftyPlusOne [37]	through October 29, 2026	November 1, 2026	48.2%	42.1%	9.7%	Pillen +6.1%
Silver Bulletin [28]	through October 29, 2026	November 1, 2026	47.0%	41.4%	11.6%	Pillen +5.6%
Average			47.6%	41.7%	10.7%	Pillen +5.9%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [b]	Margin of error	Jim Pillen (R)	Lynne Walz (D)	Brett Lindstrom (AF)	Rick Beard (LMN)	Other	Undecided
YouGov [38]	October 26–29, 2026	1,979 (LV)	± 2.8%	50%	47%	—	—	1%	0%
New York Times/Siena University [39]	October 23–29, 2026	809 (LV)	± 4.0%	53%	40%	—	—	0%	7%
Echelon Insights (R) [40] [A]	October 16–23, 2026	407 (LV)	± 6.3%	47%	40%	4%	7%	—	2%
Concord Public Opinion Partners (D) [41] [B]	October 15–18, 2026	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	40%	43%	—	—	9%	8%
National Public Affairs (R) [42]	October 15–18, 2026	598 (LV)	± 4.0%	47%	41%	5%	3%	—	4%
Global Strategy Group (D) [43] [C]	October 13–18, 2026	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	40%	39%	5%	5%	—	11%
Public Policy Polling (D) [44] [C]	October 13–14, 2026	571 (RV)	± 4.1%	48% [c]	46%	—	—	—	6%
				44%	43%	5%	3%	—	5%
National Public Affairs (R) [45]	October 2–5, 2026	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	44%	40%	7%	5%	—	6%
YouGov [46]	September 24 – October 3, 2026	1,809 (LV)	± 3.3%	44%	43%	—	—	2%	10%
co/efficient (R) [47]	September 28–30, 2026	1,113 (LV)	± 2.92%	43%	38%	5%	3%	—	10%
Lake Research Partners (D) [48] [C]	September 8–14, 2026	(RV)	± 3.5%	40%	40%	9%	4%	—	7%
SurveyUSA [49] [D]	September 8–13, 2026	503 (LV)	± 6.4%	43%	35%	—	—	13% [d]	9%
Public Policy Polling (D) [50] [E]	September 1–2, 2026	559 (RV)	± 4.1%	32%	31%	10%	7%	4% [e]	17%
Lake Research Partners (D) [51] [C]	April 25–29, 2026	900 (LV)	± 3.3%	47%	45%	—	—	—	5%
Public Policy Polling (D) [52]	April 6–7, 2026	670 (RV)	± 3.8%	38%	33%	—	12%	—	17%
Lake Research Partners (D) [51] [C]	December 11–17, 2025	900 (LV)	± 3.3%	48%	43%	—	—	—	9%
Lake Research Partners (D) [51] [C]	July 23–29, 2025	900 (LV)	± 3.3%	51%	39%	—	—	—	10%

Results

2026 Nebraska gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Pillen (incumbent) Joe Kelly (incumbent)
	Democratic	Lynne Walz Ben Steffen
	Legal Marijuana NOW	Rick Beard Keenya Barnes
	America First	Brett Lindstrom Mike Picard
Total votes				100.0

See also

• 2026 United States elections
• 2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska
• 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska
• 2026 Nebraska elections

Notes

1. Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined.
2. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
3. Without third party candidates
4. "Another candidate" with 13%
5. "Nebraska Working People's Party Candidate" with 4%

Partisan clients

1. Poll conducted for NetChoice
2. Poll sponsored by Education Reform Now Advocacy
3. Poll sponsored by Walz's campaign
4. Poll sponsored by Grant Forbes, LLC.
5. Poll sponsored by the Democratic Governors Association

References

1. "2026 State Primary Election Dates". wayNational Conference of State Legislatures . May 9, 2025. Archived from the original on May 9, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
2. Sanderford, Aaron (May 29, 2025). "Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announces reelection bid amid Herbster speculation". Nebraska Examiner . Retrieved May 30, 2025.
3. Byars, Macy; Media News, Reporter Nebraska Public; Annonen, Noelle; Reporter, Multimedia. "What to know about the 10 candidates hoping to be the next governor of Nebraska". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
4. Mueting, Brandon (January 8, 2026). "Randolph native announces bid for Nebraska governor". KOLN . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
5. "Hundreds file for Nebraska primary election; Governor's race among the most hotly contested". KOLN. March 3, 2026.
6. Wendling, Zach (July 8, 2025). "Medical cannabis advocate, targeted notary running for Nebraska governor". Nebraska Examiner . Retrieved July 8, 2025.
7. Wong, Scott; Thorp, Frank (July 6, 2025). "Centrist Rep. Don Bacon is done with Congress — but open to a potential presidential bid". NBC News . Retrieved July 6, 2025. He said he would not run against incumbent Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen
8. Salinas II, Juan (March 2, 2026). "No 2026 rerun: Charles Herbster will not run for Nebraska governor". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
9. Salinas II, Juan (January 30, 2026). "Former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom out of Nebraska's 2nd District GOP race". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
10. Olberding, Matt. "Brett Lindstrom to run for Nebraska governor as independent". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
11. "Donald Trump endorses Gov. Jim Pillen for reelection". News From The States. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
12. Porter, Chase (December 30, 2025). "Nebraska State Troopers Union Endorses Pillen After Backing Herbster in 2022". KLIN News Talk. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
13. Wendling, Zach (November 24, 2025). "Former State Sen. Lynne Walz steps toward run for Nebraska governor". Nebraska Examiner . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
14. Olberding, Matt (January 21, 2026). "Former Democratic senator officially announces gubernatorial campaign". Nebraska Public Media . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
15. Wendling, Zach (July 28, 2026). "Walz selects farmer, ag leader, ex-Republican as Nebraska lieutenant governor pick • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
16. Sanderford, Aaron (April 14, 2026). "Walz campaign says new poll shows Pillen's vulnerability". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
17. Wendling, Zach (August 21, 2026). "Legal Marijuana NOW candidate for Nebraska governor selects running mate". Nebraska Examiner.
18. "Nebraska Primary Results". Nebraska Secretary of State Election Results. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
19. Wendling, Zach (September 1, 2026). "Lindstrom selects America First Party to revive Nebraska governor bid • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
20. "Brett Lindstrom to run for governor as America First Party's candidate". KFXL. September 1, 2026. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
21. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
22. "2026 Governor Forecast". Decision Desk HQ . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
23. Numa, Rémy (November 1, 2026). "Fox News Power Rankings: Kansas moves to Toss-up, Nebraska moves to Lean R". Fox News . Retrieved November 1, 2026.
24. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
25. "The race for Congress: 2026 midterms". NBC News . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
26. "2026 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
27. "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball . Retrieved November 3, 2026.
28. Silver, Nate; McKown-Dawson, Eli (November 2, 2026) [August 11, 2026]. "FLIPR 2026 midterm election forecast" . Silver Bulletin . Retrieved November 2, 2026– via Substack.
29. Chapman, John (October 30, 2026). "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly endorses Lynne Walz in Nebraska governor's race". WOWT 6. Retrieved November 1, 2026.
30. "Former GOP State Senator Endorses Lynne Walz". Plains Sentinel. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
31. "Two former Republican state senators endorse Lynne Walz for governor". Panhandle News Channel Nebraska. September 28, 2026. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
32. "Op-ed: I'm a former Republican state senator. I support Lynne Walz for governor". Omaha World-Herald . Retrieved October 11, 2026.
33. Wendling, Zach (July 28, 2026). "Walz selects farmer, ag leader, ex-Republican as Nebraska lieutenant governor pick". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
34. Kleiber, Anna. "Nebraska Farm Bureau endorses Gov. Pillen as general election nears". Omaha World-Herald . Omaha World Herald . Retrieved October 21, 2026.
35. "2026 Polls: Nebraska Governor". 270toWin . Retrieved November 1, 2026.
36. "2026 Nebraska Governor Polling". Decision Desk HQ . Retrieved November 1, 2026.
37. "Nebraska General Governor Election". FiftyPlusOne . Retrieved November 1, 2026.
38. "Nebraska General Election 2026 – Likely Voters" (PDF). YouGov . November 1, 2026. Retrieved November 1, 2026.
39. "Toplines: October 2026 Times/Siena Poll of the Likely Electorate in Nebraska". The New York Times . October 31, 2026. Retrieved October 31, 2026.
40. "NetChoice/Echelon Insights Poll: Voters Rank AI Regulation Far Behind Cost of Living, Want One National AI Standard". NetChoice. October 27, 2026. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
41. "Nebraska Statewide General Election Findings". Concord Public Opinion Partners. October 18, 2026. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
42. "Nebraska 2026 General Election Tracker, Round 2: Statewide Results" (PDF). National Public Affairs. October 22, 2026. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
43. "NEW POLL RESULTS: Democrat Lynne Walz has brought the race for Nebraska Governor to a statistical tie". Global Strategy Group. October 19, 2026. Retrieved October 24, 2026– via Google Drive.
44. Reyes, Josh (October 16, 2026). "New Nebraska governor's race poll shows Walz and Pillen statistically tied". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
45. "Nebraska 2026 General Election Survey Results" (PDF). National Public Affairs Polling. October 12, 2026. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
46. "Nebraska General Election 2026 – Likely Voters" (PDF). YouGov . October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
47. "Nebraska · U.S. Senate". co/efficient. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
48. "New Democratic-aligned poll shows Pillen, Walz tied at 40%". Omaha World-Herald . September 29, 2026. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
49. "Independent Candidate Dan Osborn Has Advantage in Nebraska's US Senate Contest, Even as Incumbent GOP Governor Poised to Win 2nd Term:". SurveyUSA . September 14, 2026. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
50. Williams, Jim (September 15, 2026). "Tight Race for Governor in Nebraska" (PDF). Retrieved September 15, 2026.
51. Lake, Celinda; O'Bryan, Meryl; Hall, Hannah (May 26, 2026). "Movement in the Nebraska Gubernatorial Race". Lake Research Partners. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
52. Williams, Jim (April 9, 2026). "Governor Pillen in Weak Standing as Nebraskans Overwhelmingly Feel State is on the Wrong Track". Twitter . Retrieved April 14, 2026.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Rick Beard (LMN)
• Brett Lindstrom (AF)
• Jim Pillen (R)
• Lynne Walz (D)