The1994 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent governorBen Nelson won a re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating Republican businessman Gene Spence by 47.4 percentage points and sweeping all but two counties in the state, despite the concurrent1994 Republican Revolution. As of 2026, this is the last time that a Democrat was elected governor of Nebraska.
Willie J. Carr, Jr. fromOmaha, Nebraska, who filed as a pauper candidate (meaning he didn't pay the filing fee) and did not conduct an active campaign[5]
Though Nelson ultimately did approve of an action to prevent foster children from living with homosexuals or unmarried couples after he was re-elected, Spence hammered the governor for not supporting restrictions on foster homes.[7] Ultimately, four weeks before the elections, many prominent Republicans accused Spence of "throwing in the towel" and essentially conceding defeat to Nelson before any ballots were cast.[8] The divided Republican primary and Gene Spence's inability to unite the party following his plurality victory in the primary eventually led to Nelson's overwhelming re-election.[9]
