Nebraska State Senate elections, 2026

2026 Nebraska Senate Elections
Primary	Pending
General	November 3, 2026

2026 Elections
Choose a chamber below:

Elections for the Nebraska State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The Nebraska State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Party	As of March 2025
	Democratic Party	14
	Republican Party	33
	Other	2
	Vacancy	0
Total	49

Candidates

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.

Primary

Nebraska State Senate primary 2026
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office	Candidates

General election

Nebraska State Senate general election 2026
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
Office	Candidates
District 2
District 4
District 6
District 8
District 10
District 12
District 14
District 16
District 18
District 20
District 22
District 24
District 26
District 28
District 30
District 32
District 34
District 36
District 38
District 40
District 42
District 44
District 46
District 48

Voting information

See also: Voting in Nebraska

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Nebraska. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Nebraska

For all candidates

According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, every prospective candidate must complete and submit a candidate filing form (which includes a candidate statement that must be signed) and provide for the payment of the filing fee. For state offices, the candidate must submit a statement of financial interests. A candidate for federal office must submit a financial statement according to Federal Election Commission instructions.^[1][2]

Filing fees vary by office and are established by Chapter 32, Section 608, of the Nebraska Revised Statutes.^[3][4]

Filing fees
Office sought	How the fee is determined
United States Senator or United States Representative	1% of the office's annual salary
Governor	1% of the office's annual salary
Secretary of state	1% of the office's annual salary
State auditor	1% of the office's annual salary
State treasurer	1% of the office's annual salary
Attorney general	1% of the office's annual salary
Public service commissioner	1% of the office's annual salary
State senator	1% of the office's annual salary

If the office for which the candidate is filing pays only a per diem (i.e., an allowance for expenses incurred as a result of fulfilling an office's duties) or a salary of less than $500 per year, the filing fee is waived. In addition, no filing fee is required of any candidate who completes an affidavit requesting to file in forma pauperis (i.e., a person whose "income and other resources for maintenance are found to be insufficient for meeting the cost of his or her requirements and whose cash or other available resources do not exceed the maximum available resources that an eligible individual may own").^[3]

For partisan candidates

See statutes: Chapter 32, Section 610 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes

To be eligible for inclusion on a partisan primary ballot, a candidate must be a registered voter of the party, if so required. A partisan candidate must complete the aforementioned paperwork and pay the filing fees required of all candidates.^[5]

For independent candidates

See statutes: Chapter 32, Section 616 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes

Any registered voter who was not a candidate in the primary election and who was not registered to vote with a party affiliation on or before March 1 in the calendar year of the general election may have his or her name placed on the general election ballot either by petition or nomination by political party convention or committee. The number of signatures required for nominating petitions varies by office (see below table for more information).^[6][7]

Signature requirements
Office sought	Number of signatures required
Nonpartisan office (including state legislators) filled by registered voters of a county or political subdivision	10% of the total number of registered voters voting for governor or president at the most recent general election; not to exceed 2,000
Partisan office	4,000 signatures for candidates for statewide office of U.S. House

For further information regarding petition requirements, see below.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Nebraska Senate, a candidate must be:^[8]

• At least 21 years of age
• A resident of Nebraska, and specifically a resident of the legislative district he or she wishes to serve, for at least one year prior to the general election
• Must not have ever been convicted of a felony

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024[9]
Salary	Per diem
$12,000/year	For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/day.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Nebraska legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.^[10]

Nebraska political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Presidential politics in Nebraska

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024

2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020

2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016

Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 6 Democratic wins
• 27 Republican wins

Redistricting following the 2020 census

On September 30, 2021, the Nebraska State Legislature approved a new state legislative map, 37-7. Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the map into law shortly afterwards.^[11] This map took effect for Nebraska's 2022 legislative elections.

See also

Nebraska	State Legislative Elections	News and Analysis
Nebraska State Executive Offices Nebraska State Legislature Nebraska Courts	2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 Nebraska elections: 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015	Party control of state government State government trifectas Partisan composition of state legislatures Partisan composition of state senates Partisan composition of state houses

External links

• Nebraska State Senate

Footnotes