United States Senate special election in Nebraska, 2024
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On November 5, 2024, there was a special election to fill the last two years of the six-year term that Ben Sasse (R) was elected to in 2020. Sasse resigned from the U.S. Senate on January 8, 2023, after being appointed president of the University of Florida.[1][2][3] On January 12, 2023, Pete Ricketts (R) was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Jim Pillen to fill the vacancy left by Sasse's resignation.[4]
As of December 3, 2024, 13 special elections have been called for the 118th Congress. From the 113th Congress to the 117th Congress, 67 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.
The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in 2025.
Thirty-four of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election. Of the seats up for election in 2024, Democrats held 19, Republicans held 11, and independents held four. Eight members of the U.S. Senate did not run for re-election, more than in any year since 2012.
Candidates and election results
General election
Special general election for U.S. Senate Nebraska
Incumbent Pete Ricketts defeated Preston Love Jr. in the special general election for U.S. Senate Nebraska on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Pete Ricketts (R) | 62.6 | 585,103 |
 | Preston Love Jr. (D) | 37.4 | 349,902 | |
| Total votes: 935,005 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska
Preston Love Jr. advanced from the special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Preston Love Jr. | 100.0 | 85,114 |
| Total votes: 85,114 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska
Incumbent Pete Ricketts defeated John Glen Weaver and Mac Stevens in the special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Nebraska on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pete Ricketts | 78.9 | 173,118 |
 | John Glen Weaver | 14.8 | 32,529 | |
 | Mac Stevens | 6.2 | 13,669 | |
| Total votes: 219,316 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Nebraska, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Nebraska's 1st | Mike Flood |  Republican |
R+9 |
| Nebraska's 2nd | Don Bacon | Republican |
Even |
| Nebraska's 3rd | Adrian Smith | Republican |
R+29 |
2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Nebraska[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| ||
| Nebraska's 1st | 43.3% | 54.3% | ||
| Nebraska's 2nd | 52.2% | 45.8% | ||
| Nebraska's 3rd | 23.1% | 74.9% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 53.4% of Nebraskans lived in one of the state's 90 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 46.2% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Douglas and Lancaster. Overall, Nebraska was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Nebraska following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Nebraska county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 90 | 53.4% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 2 | 46.2% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 1 | 0.3% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 2 | 46.2% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 91 | 53.8% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 6 Democratic wins
- 25 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Nebraska.
| U.S. Senate election results in Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 62.7% |
24.4%
|
| 2018 | 57.7% |
38.6%
|
| 2014 | 64.4% |
31.5%
|
| 2012 | 57.8% |
42.2%
|
| 2008 | 57.5% |
40.1%
|
| Average | 60.0 | 35.4 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Nebraska
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Nebraska.
| Gubernatorial election results in Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2022 | 59.2% |
36.0%
|
| 2018 | 59.0% |
41.0%
|
| 2014 | 57.2% |
39.2%
|
| 2010 | 73.9% |
26.1%
|
| 2006 | 73.4% |
24.5%
|
| Average | 66.4 | 31.7 |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Nebraska's congressional delegation as of May 2024.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Nebraska | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 3 | 5 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Nebraska's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.
| State executive officials in Nebraska, May 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Jim Pillen
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Joe Kelly
|
| Secretary of State | Bob Evnen
|
| Attorney General | Mike Hilgers
|
State legislature
Nebraska State Senate
| Party | As of February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | |
| Independent | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | |
Trifecta control
The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.
Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
The table below details demographic data in Nebraska and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.
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| Demographic Data for Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | United States | |
| Population | 1,961,504 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 76,814 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 81.8% | 65.9% |
| Black/African American | 4.8% | 12.5% |
| Asian | 2.5% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more | 6.3% | 8.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 11.8% | 18.7% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 91.9% | 89.1% |
| College graduation rate | 33.5% | 34.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $71,722 | $75,149 |
| Persons below poverty level | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Sen. Ben Sasse chosen as 13th UF president in unanimous vote of trustees," November 1, 2022
- ↑ Fox 42, "Sen. Ben Sasse has been confirmed as President of the University of Florida," November 9, 2022
- ↑ Siouxland News, "Nebraska's Ben Sasse resigning from US Senate," December 5, 2022
- ↑ KETV Omaha, "Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announces Pete Ricketts will replace US Sen. Ben Sasse," January 12, 2023
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed December 15, 2023
