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2026 primary election results: Voters deciding nominees for Nebraska’s congressional districts
THANKS FOR JOINING US ON PRIMARY NIGHT IN NEBRASKA. I’M JULIE CORNELL. I’M BILL SCHAMMERT. WE JUST GOT ANOTHER BATCH OF RESULTS FROM THE DOUGLAS COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION. WE ARE WATCHING SOME VERY TIGHT RACES, INCLUDING THIS ONE, THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TWO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS NOW REPORTING A REVERSAL OF WHAT WE TOLD YOU 30 MINUTES AGO, DENISE, POLLS PICKED UP ANOTHER THOUSAND VOTES OR SO LEADING BY 850, OR ABOUT 2%. THE LATEST RESULTS COMING IN JUST MOMENTS AGO. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE, MADISON AND QUANECIA FRASER HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE RACE ALL NIGHT. WE BEGIN WITH MADISON AT THE THOMPSON ALUMNI CENTER. MADISON. YEAH, HERE AT THE THOMPSON CENTER, THERE HAS BEEN ENERGY BROUGHT HERE. BRINGING IT RIGHT NOW. AS YOU CAN SEE. WE ARE SHOWING THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN THAT. DENISE POWELL HAS TAKEN THE LEAD, BUT NOTHING HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN CALLED YET. NATIONAL REPORTS ARE SHOWING ABOUT AN 850 VOTE. AND THEY ARE CHANTING RIGHT NOW. WE’RE GOING TO JUST PAN OVER SO YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT. THE CROWD IS JUST CHANTING DENISE, AS WE SEE THAT THEY ARE CHANTING TO DENISE POWELL, TAKING THE LEAD. AND AGAIN, AP IS REPORTING ABOUT AN 850 VOTE LEAD WITH 99% OF VOTES REPORTED SO FAR FOR POWELL. BUT AGAIN, NOTHING OFFICIAL HAS BEEN CALLED YET. AND WHEN WE GO TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S WEBSITE, IT STILL HASN’T SHOWN THE UPDATED NUMBERS QUITE YET. AND IT STILL SHOWS THAT THEY’RE IN A TIGHT RACE RIGHT NOW. BUT AGAIN, NATIONAL NEWS IS REPORTING THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD 39% TO 37 IN FAVOR OF DENISE POWELL. RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, THE CROWD IS JUST LIVELY RIGHT NOW CHEERING HER ON AS YOU CAN SEE HERE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO TOSS IT BACK TO YOU AT THE DESK BECAUSE DENISE POWELL HAS NOT MADE AN ENTRANCE YET TO ADDRESS THESE VOTES SO FAR. SO BACK TO YOU AT THE MADISON. KEEP US POSTED. THANK YOU. AND WHAT WE KNOW FROM EARLIER IN THE NIGHT IS THAT DENISE POWELL WAS LEADING IN SAUNDERS COUNTY. SHE WAS LEADING IN SARPY COUNTY, AND JOHN KAVANAUGH WAS LEADING IN DOUGLAS COUNTY. THE LATEST BATCH OF RESULTS SHOWED DENISE POWELL HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN DOUGLAS COUNTY. DANIELLE JOHNSON, THE DOUGLAS COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSIONER, SAYS THESE RESULTS MAY NOT BE FINAL FOR DAYS, SO STAY TUNED. VERY CLOSE RACE. LET’S GO TO KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S QUANECIA FRASER. SHE’S AT UNDERWOOD BAR WITH JOHN KAVANAUGH’S CAMPAIGN. QUANECIA. BILL. JULIE, THE ENERGY IN HERE WAS PRETTY. WE’RE FEELING A LOT OF EXCITEMENT IN THIS ROOM UP UNTIL ABOUT 1045. THAT’S WHEN THINGS SEEMED TO HAVE TAKEN A PAUSE WHEN THE. THE LATEST ROUND OF RESULTS WERE RELEASED. THE ENERGY IS NOT NEARLY AS HIGH AS IT WAS ABOUT 20 MINUTES AGO, BUT I CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT. WHEN JOHN KAVANAUGH WALKED INTO THIS BAR AT 10:00, HE WALKED INTO CHEERS, A VERY, VERY ECSTATIC CROWD. JOHN KAVANAUGH THANKED HIS SUPPORTERS FOR GETTING HIM TO WHERE HE WAS AT THAT POINT, WHICH WAS IN THE LEAD. HE THANKED THEM FOR GOING DOOR TO DOOR, REACHING PEOPLE, KNOCKING ON DOORS, CALLING VOTERS ALL HIS VOLUNTEERS. I KNOW EARLIER TODAY, HE SAID HE HAD AT LEAST 50 VOLUNTEERS GOING TO REACH VOTERS, AND THOSE LAST MINUTE VOTERS AND TRYING TO GET THEM TO THE POLLS. SO HE WAS VERY, VERY EXCITED. AGAIN, ALL OF THAT HAS CHANGED, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING. THE ENERGY HAS GONE FROM EXCITEMENT TO MORE SO TAKING A PAUSE. IT’S DEFINITELY A LOT QUIETER IN HERE. BILL.
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2026 primary election results: Voters deciding nominees for Nebraska’s congressional districts
Nebraska voters will be selecting nominees for the state’s three congressional districts in Tuesday’s primary election.FULL RESULTS | U.S. SENATE | CONGRESS | GOVERNOR | STATE RACES | LEGISLATURE | DOUGLAS COUNTY | SARPY COUNTY | CASS COUNTY, NEBRASKA | WASHINGTON COUNTY | DODGE COUNTY | SAUNDERS COUNTY |In District 1, Democrat Chris Backemeyer defeated Eric Moyer and advances to face incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood and Libertarian candidate Nik Sandman in November’s midterms.In District 2, incumbent Republican Don Bacon has chosen not to run for reelection. Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding is the lone Republican in the race, while six Democrats — Van Argyrakis, Kishla Askins, John Cavanaugh, Denise Powell, Crystal Rhoades and Melanie Williams — are competing for the nomination. James Leuschen appears on the ballot, but has dropped out of the race. As of 11:30 p.m., about 1,000 votes separate the top two candidates in the race: John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell.The Democratic nominee will face Harding and Libertarian Eric Foreman in November.In District 3, incumbent Adrian Smith defeated David Huebner for the Republican nomination. Smith advances to face Democratic Becky Stille and Legalize Marijuana Now candidate David Else in November.Click here if the AP embeds are not displaying on the KETV appBacon has held Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District seat since 2017 when he defeated Brad Ashford, becoming the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democrat in the 2016 U.S. House of Representatives elections.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Nebraska voters will be selecting nominees for the state’s three congressional districts in Tuesday’s primary election.
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FULL RESULTS | U.S. SENATE | CONGRESS | GOVERNOR | STATE RACES | LEGISLATURE | DOUGLAS COUNTY | SARPY COUNTY | CASS COUNTY, NEBRASKA | WASHINGTON COUNTY | DODGE COUNTY | SAUNDERS COUNTY |
In District 1, Democrat Chris Backemeyer defeated Eric Moyer and advances to face incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood and Libertarian candidate Nik Sandman in November’s midterms.
In District 2, incumbent Republican Don Bacon has chosen not to run for reelection. Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding is the lone Republican in the race, while six Democrats — Van Argyrakis, Kishla Askins, John Cavanaugh, Denise Powell, Crystal Rhoades and Melanie Williams — are competing for the nomination. James Leuschen appears on the ballot, but has dropped out of the race.
As of 11:30 p.m., about 1,000 votes separate the top two candidates in the race: John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell.
The Democratic nominee will face Harding and Libertarian Eric Foreman in November.
In District 3, incumbent Adrian Smith defeated David Huebner for the Republican nomination. Smith advances to face Democratic Becky Stille and Legalize Marijuana Now candidate David Else in November.
Click here if the AP embeds are not displaying on the KETV app
Bacon has held Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District seat since 2017 when he defeated Brad Ashford, becoming the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democrat in the 2016 U.S. House of Representatives elections.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
