Lincoln and Nebraska results for the 2020 general election
See vote totals on all statewide and Lincoln-area races and ballot questions.
Statewide contests
| Party | Candidate | Vote total |
|---|---|---|
| President | Joseph Biden, D | 359,757 |
| Jo Jorgensen, L | 19,292 | |
| Donald Trump, R | 536,229 | |
| U.S. Senate | Chris Janicek, D | 216,887 |
| Ben Sasse, R | 562,224 | |
| Gene Siadek, L | 52,878 | |
| Gambling, Initiative 429 | For | 566,886 |
| Against | 305,883 | |
| Gambling, Initiative 430 | For | 569,201 |
| Against | 307,728 | |
| Gambling, Initiative 431 | For | 598,546 |
| Against | 273,243 | |
| Payday lending | For | 698,704 |
| Against | 144,346 | |
| Remove slavery wording | For | 581,058 |
| Against | 271,443 | |
| Extend TIF 20 years | For | 500,903 |
| Against | 319,675 | |
Congressional races
| Race | Candidates | Vote totals |
|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Kate Bolz | 116,120 |
| Jeff Fortenberry, R | 179,557 | |
| Dennis Grace, L | 8,452 | |
| District 2 | Donald Bacon, R | 162,087 |
| Kara Eastman, D | 146,992 | |
| Tyler Schaeffer, L | 9,423 | |
| District 3 | Mark Elworth Jr., D | 49,771 |
| Dustin Hobbs, L | 10,723 | |
| Adrian Smith, R | 222,363 | |
Legislature
| District | Candidate | Vote totals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Janet Palmtag | 5,577 |
| Julie Slama | 11,899 | |
| 3 | Rick Holdcroft | 8,582 |
| Carol Blood | 8,779 | |
| 5 | Mike McDonnell | 6,559 |
| Gilbert Ayala | 3,777 | |
| 7 | Tony Vargas | 6,819 |
| Jorge Sotolongo | 1,919 | |
| 9 | John Cavanaugh | 8,003 |
| Marque Snow | 6,690 | |
| 11 | Fred Conley | 3,330 |
| Terrell McKinney | 5,820 | |
| 13 | Justin T. Wayne | 11,010 |
| 15 | David Rogers | 6,210 |
| Lynne Walz | 9,157 | |
| 17 | Joni Albrecht | 7,343 |
| Sheryl Lindau | 3,576 | |
| 19 | Mike Flood | 15,200 |
| 21 | Mike Hilgers | 9,895 |
| Brodey Weber | 8,132 | |
| 23 | Bruce Bostelman | 11,287 |
| Helen Raikes | 6,868 | |
| 25 | Suzanne Geist | 16,147 |
| Stephany Pleasant | 8,104 | |
| 27 | Brenda Bickford | 5,448 |
| Anna Wishart | 9,923 | |
| 29 | Eliot Bostar | 10,927 |
| Jacob Campbell | 9,622 | |
| 31 | Rich Pahls | 10,197 |
| Tim Royers | 9,093 | |
| 33 | Steve Halloran | 12,756 |
| 35 | Raymond M. Aguilar | 6,570 |
| Dan Quick | 5,688 | |
| 37 | Mercadies Damratowski | 4,098 |
| John Lowe Sr. | 12,774 | |
| 39 | Allison Heimes | 11,457 |
| Lou Ann Linehan | 14,554 | |
| 41 | Tom Briese | 15,804 |
| 43 | Tom Brewer | 10,628 |
| Tanya Storer | 7,691 | |
| 45 | Susan Hester | 7,671 |
| Rita Sanders | 8,835 | |
| 47 | Steve Erdman | 14,901 |
| 49 | Jen Day | 12,125 |
| Andrew La Grone | 11,873 |
State Board of Education
| District | Candidate | Vote total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patsy Koch Johns | 90,917 |
| 2 | Robert Anthony | 37,612 |
| Lisa Fricke | 68,950 | |
| 3 | Patti S. Gubbels | 51,079 |
| Mike Goos | 24,082 | |
| 4 | Jacquelyn Morrison | 50,569 |
| Adrian Petrescu | 17,653 | |
SCC Board of Governors
| District | Candidate | Vote totals |
|---|---|---|
| At-large | Timothy R. Cerveny | 81,405 |
| Neal Stenberg | 82,575 | |
| 1 | Chuck Byers | 17,329 |
| Jeanne H. Stec | 15,268 | |
| 2 | Kathy Boellstorff | 20,349 |
| Chad Aldrich | 15,415 | |
| 3 | Edward C. Price | 32,588 |
| 4 | Kristin E. Yates | 25,167 |
| 5 | Arlyn Uhrmacher | 41,327 |
Lower Platte South Natural Resources District board
| Subdistrict | Candidate | Vote totals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don Jacobson | 11,941 |
| 2 | Ron Nolte | 12,778 |
| 3 | Mike DeKalb | 6,243 |
| Kenneth Vogel | 6,177 | |
| 4 | Gary R. Aldridge | 9,201 |
| LeRoy W. Sievers | 9,199 | |
| 5 | John Yoakum | 4,402 |
| Greg Osborn | 2,618 | |
| 6 | Anthony Schutz | 10,257 |
| 7 | Chelsea Johnson | 8,933 |
| 8 | Christine Lamberty | 7,807 |
| Christy Eichorn | 4,505 | |
| 9 | Milt Schmidt | 4,712 |
| Lisa Lewis | 7,518 | |
| 10 | Ray A. Stevens Jr. | 6,528 |
| Bastienne Salners | 5,268 | |
Public Service Commission
| Race | Candidate | Vote total |
|---|---|---|
| District 2 | Tim Davis, R | 53,466 |
| Crystal Rhoades, D | 88,891 |
NU Board of Regents
| District | Candidate | Vote totals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Clare | 92,526 |
| 2 | Jack A. Stark | 96,770 |
County board; unofficial final results
| District | Candidate | Vote total |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Eric Underwood, R | 10,250 |
| Christa Yoakum, D | 11,436 | |
| 4 | Roma Amundson | 25,599 |
Area ballot questions; unofficial final results
| Ballot question | For | Against |
|---|---|---|
| Hickman pool bonds | 491 | 815 |
| Hickman sales tax | 484 | 808 |
| Hallam sales tax | 60 | 71 |
It appears that President Donald Trump will win at least four of the five electoral votes from Nebraska. Trump led Democrat Joe Biden by 8,600 votes in the 1st District.
More than 4 in 5 voters supported Initiative 428, which lowers the annual interest rates payday lenders can charge from 400% to 36%, matching Nebraska with 16 other states that have similar caps.
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse sailed to reelection to a second term Tuesday night, romping to victory in a bizarre contest in which the Democratic Party disowned its nominee and urged support for a designated write-in candidate.
Republican Reps. Don Bacon and Adrian Smith were also reelected to the House, with Bacon building a somewhat surprisingly comfortable edge over Democratic nominee Kara Eastman in Omaha's 2nd District.
The state senator from Peru gathered 68% of the votes from the Southeast Nebraska district, more than doubling the total earned by Palmtag, a realtor from Nebraska City.
During the pandemic, Yoakum stressed the work she's already done in phone calls and chose not to campaign door-to-door. Underwood meanwhile continued a socially distanced version of the campaign hallmark.
President Donald Trump won the statewide vote, largely because of a flood of Republican support in western and central Nebraska.
Two legislative incumbents, Sens. Andrew La Grone and Dan Quick, appeared to be unseated in tight races.
Nearly 2 of every 3 votes went for Initiatives 429, 430 and 431 that allow casino gambling at the horse racing tracks in Nebraska, including Lincoln Race Course.
Ganem previously worked with the Fremont Public Schools for more than 20 years. She served as Nebraska’s first lady from 2005 to 2015 when her husband, Dave Heineman, was Nebraska’s governor.
Two seats on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents were uncontested, while three of four incumbents won races for the Southeast Community College Board of Governors.
It was a big and successful day for Republicans in Nebraska, but Democrats managed to walk away with a jewel -- an electoral vote for Joe Biden -- once the votes were counted.
"In one of these races, the winner prevailed by two votes, Two votes. So when Nebraskans hear me say, 'Your vote counts,' I really mean it," said Secretary of State Bob Evnen.
More than 936,100 votes were counted in the general election, exceeding the previous record-high set four years ago by about 68,000 votes, Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.
In the end, 17 incumbent senators were returned to office, but two — Sens. Dan Quick and Gov. Pete Ricketts' appointee Andrew La Grone — lost their seats.
Lincoln Race Course estimates casino gambling could generate 1,500 jobs, $100 million in local economic impact and $15 million in state and local tax revenue.
North Omaha civil rights activist Preston Love Jr., launched a write-in campaign in early September, with the backing of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
Former Lincoln Sen. DiAnna Schimek wanted Nebraskans to think their votes counted.
Nebraskans who support Joe Biden have joined in on social media, tweaking the city's name to "Joemaha" and commenting that they are not from Nebraska or Omaha — they're from the 2nd District.
Ricketts acknowledged that he's previously supported legislative efforts to revert back to Nebraska awarding all five of its electoral votes to the statewide winner.
"If the president's legal team has real evidence, they need to present it immediately to both the public and the courts," Ben Sasse said.
Who would vote against ending slavery as a way to punish crimes? About 274,000 Nebraskans just did, including majorities in 26 rural counties.
People around Lincoln are reacting in various ways after The Associated Press declared Vice President Joe Biden as winner of this week's election.
Former Vice President Joe Biden crossed the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes with win in Pennsylvania.
When casinos are built in Omaha and Lincoln, they could hurt Iowa gaming revenues, especially in Council Bluffs, where four casinos currently operate.
"When Trump campaign lawyers have stood before courts under oath, they have repeatedly refused to actually allege grand fraud," Sasse said, "because there are legal consequences for lying to judges."
Secretary of State Bob Evnen told the State Board of Canvassers there had been no allegations of fraud brought to the Secretary of State's Office in the 2020 election cycle.
Though many believe unsubstantiated claims about election fraud, a Republican campaign consultant in Nebraska says of the ongoing allegations: “It is bad for democracy, because it’s not true."
That would give Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties 27 of the Legislature's 49 seats heading into a session where the Legislature will draw new boundaries.
Omaha state senator announces candidacy for Democratic nomination for 2nd District seat held by Republican Rep. Don Bacon.