2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska
The2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of theUnited States Senate to represent the state ofNebraska .Primary elections will be held on May 12, 2026. Nebraska has been represented in the U.S. Senate exclusively by Republicans since 2013.
IncumbentRepublican SenatorPete Ricketts was appointed to the seat in 2023 after the resignation ofBen Sasse . He won the2024 special election to serve out the remaining two years of Sasse's term and is seeking afull term . Democrats have indicated they will not field a candidate in the race.Dan Osborn , an independent who ran in theClass I Senate race in 2024 , announced his candidacy in July 2025.
The statewide primary election day will occur on May 12, 2026.[ 1]
Pete Ricketts
Executive branch officials Organizations Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Pete Ricketts (R) $3,597,203 $3,562,993 $557,128 Source:Federal Election Commission [ 8]
Jane Kleeb , the chair of theNebraska Democratic Party , had stated that the party does not intend to recruit a candidate in this race, similar to their actions takenin 2024 .[ 9] [ 10]
Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025 Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand Dan Osborn (I) $2,121,436 $1,608,939 $575,663 Source:Federal Election Commission [ 8]
Third-party candidates [ edit ] Dan Osborn (I)
Executive branch officials Party officials Political parties Labor unions Organizations Pete Ricketts vs. Dan Osborn
Poll source Date(s) Sample[ a] Margin Pete Dan Undecided Lake Research Partners (D)[ 25] December 11–17, 2025 900 (LV) – 48% 47% 5% Lake Research Partners (D)[ 26] July 23–29, 2025 900 (LV) ± 3.3% 46% 47% 7% Change Research (D)[ 27] [ A] March 28 – April 1, 2025 524 (LV) ± 4.6% 46% 45% 9%
^ Key: Partisan clients
^ Poll commissioned by Osborn's exploratory campaign ^ "2026 Election Calendar" (PDF) .sos.nebraska.gov .^ Weaver, Al (January 12, 2023)."Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts tapped to fill Sasse's Senate seat" .The Hill . RetrievedJanuary 12, 2023 .Pillen also noted that Ricketts has committed to running in 2024 and 2026 ^ "2026 Elections" . Nebraska Secretary of State. January 5, 2026.^ "DUNN, EDWARD MR. - Candidate overview" .FEC.gov . January 1, 2019. RetrievedMay 18, 2025 .^ Salinas, Juan (April 10, 2025)."Nebraska's Dan Osborn statistically tied with U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts in poll" .Nebraska Examiner . RetrievedApril 10, 2025 . ^ "- AIPAC Political Portal" .candidates.aipacpac.org . RetrievedApril 28, 2025 .^ "2026 Endorsed Candidates" .Club for Growth . RetrievedNovember 14, 2025 .^a b "2026 Election United States Senate - Nebraska" .fec.gov .Federal Election Commission . RetrievedApril 23, 2025 .^ Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (July 9, 2025)."Morning Digest: Nebraska independent who spooked GOP launches another Senate bid" .The Downballot . RetrievedJuly 10, 2025 . ^ Coblerobler, Ariana Joy (August 1, 2025)."Dan Osborn endorsed by NE Democratic Party for 2026 Senate race" .NTV . RetrievedNovember 16, 2025 . {{cite web }}: CS1 maint: url-status (link )^ Vakil, Caroline (July 8, 2025)."Dan Osborn launches independent Senate bid against Ricketts in Nebraska" .The Hill . RetrievedJuly 8, 2025 . ^ Ourada, Jackie (January 20, 2026)."Nebraska marijuana advocate announces U.S. Senate bid" .Nebraska Public Media . RetrievedJanuary 29, 2026 . ^ "Senate Ratings" .Inside Elections . RetrievedJanuary 14, 2025 .^ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings" .Cook Political Report . RetrievedFebruary 11, 2025 .^ "2026 Senate ratings" .Sabato's Crystal Ball . RetrievedFebruary 13, 2025 .^ "2026 Senate Forecast" .Race to the WH . RetrievedMarch 19, 2025 .^ Reich, Robert (September 11, 2025)."Democrats should forget about appealing to some mythical center" .The Boston Globe . RetrievedSeptember 29, 2025 . ^ Salinas, Juan (July 31, 2025)."Nebraska Dems chair 'supporting' Dan Osborn vs. U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts" .States Newsroom . RetrievedAugust 6, 2025 . ^ Coblerobler, Ariana Joy (August 1, 2025)."Dan Osborn endorsed by Nebraska Democratic Party for 2026 Senate race" .KHGI . RetrievedNovember 14, 2025 . ^ "Largest Federal Employee Union Endorses Nebraska's Dan Osborn for Election to the U.S. Senate" .www.afge.org .American Federation of Government Employees . December 19, 2025. RetrievedDecember 19, 2025 .^ "Dan Osborn picks up endorsement of Nebraska's largest teachers union • Nebraska Examiner" .Nebraska Examiner . RetrievedNovember 20, 2025 .^ "Our Recommended Candidates" .Education Votes . RetrievedNovember 28, 2025 .^ Mayhugh, Justin (February 6, 2026)."UAW Endorses Independent Dan Osborn in Nebraska U.S. Senate Race" .UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America . RetrievedFebruary 6, 2026 . ^ "Candidates" .Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs .^ "December 2025 Nebraska Topline Poll" .Lake Research Partners . January 22, 2026. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2026 – viaGoogle Docs .^ Weigel, David [@daveweigel] (September 16, 2025)."#NESen poll by Lake Research (D) from late summer, shared w me: Osborn (I): 47% Ricketts (R): 46% Osborn w higher favs; sample is 58-40 Trump-Harris, a little bluer than 2024. Right after announcing, before any real R messaging (July 23 – 29, 900 LVs, 3.3% MOE)" (Tweet ). RetrievedSeptember 15, 2025 – viaTwitter . ^ Wegley, Andrew (April 10, 2025)."First poll in potential Nebraska Senate race shows Osborn down 1% to Ricketts" .Lincoln Journal Star . RetrievedApril 10, 2025 . Official campaign websites
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