United States 2026 / By state / Nebraska
Nebraska · Midterm elections · 3 November 2026
Who paid to reach Nebraska voters
The Republican side outspent the Democratic side in Nebraska, $745K to $424.7K. The costliest race: U.S. Senate, at $769.3K. Dan Osborn was the most-attacked name in the state.
Ads delivered from 4 May 2026 to 4 November 2026 · Results: unofficial count as of 6 November 2026
The races
Each race links to its candidates’ pages, with the unofficial count above its spend. Spend counts every ad about the race, the candidates’ own and outside groups’.
Democratic sideRepublican sideNo side (white figures)
U.S. Senate
Ricketts vs Osborn
$769.3K · 483 ads · 23 pages
- Dan Osborn$146.4K own
- Pete Ricketts$18.8K own
- Outside groups and others$604K
Largest pages
- Democrat Dan Osborn$409.1K
- Dan Osborn$146.4K
- Working America$61.7K
Governor
Pillen vs Walz
$149.6K · 122 ads · 12 pages
Largest pages
- Lynne Walz for Nebraska$60.8K
- Jim Pillen$41.5K
- Working America$19.9K
U.S. House
House · 3 districts
$222.7K · 586 ads · 15 pages
- NE-2 · Denise Powell$78.3K
- NE-1 · Christopher Backemeyer$47K
- NE-3 · Becky Stille$7.6K
- Ads naming no district$89.8K
Other statewide offices
$89.8K · 284 ads · 26 pages
Largest pages
State legislature
$203K · 427 ads · 60 pages
Largest pages
Ballot measures
- Constitutional Amendment 1 · Change the legislative term limit from two consecutive four-year terms to threeFailedYes 18.6% · No 81.4%
- Initiative Measure 440 · Authorize laws to govern sports bettingFailedYes 45.1% · No 54.9%
- Initiative Measure 441 · Authorize online sports betting in the state and authorize the state gaming commission to adopt rules and regulations governing the gaming operatorsFailedYes 45.5% · No 54.5%
- Initiative Measure 442 · Require schools designate sports team as male, female, or co-ed and prohibit male participation on female sports teamsPassedYes 68.0% · No 32.0%
$189.1K · 111 ads · 12 pages
Largest pages
Local races
$103.4K · 238 ads · 62 pages
Largest pages
U.S. House, district by district
3 districts with ads. A district is placed only when the ad names it, or the candidate’s FEC record does.
| District | Candidates with ads | Result | Largest page | Ads | Spend | Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE-2 | Denise Powell, Brinker Harding | Denise Powell D 56.4% | Denise Powell for Congress | 89 | $78.3K | |
| NE-1 | Christopher Backemeyer | Mike Flood R 50.3% | Chris Backemeyer for Congress | 369 | $47K | |
| NE-3 | Becky Stille, Adrian Smith | Adrian Smith R 71.0% | Becky Stille for US Congress | 9 | $7.6K | |
| District not named | America PAC | 119 | $89.8K |
Who paid
The pages that spent the most on Nebraska’s races; spend here is what each page spent in this state.
| # | Advertiser | Side | Race | Ads | Spend | Attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democrat Dan OsbornPaid for by SLF PAC | Rep. | Senate | 91 | $409.1K | 100% |
| 2 | Tax Relief NebraskaPaid for by TAX RELIEF NEBRASKA. 3606 N 156TH STREET, STE 101-178. OMAHA NEBRASKA 68116 | None | Ballot measure | 26 | $155.8K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Dan OsbornPaid for by Osborn for Senate | None | Senate | 179 | $146.4K | 24% |
| 4 | Working America | Dem. | Senate | 146 | $86.4K | 38% |
| 5 | Lynne Walz for Nebraska | Dem. | Governor | 71 | $61K | 3.4% |
| 6 | Denise Powell for Congress | Dem. | House NE-2 | 77 | $54.3K | 17% |
| 7 | America PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 14 | $44.4K | 100% |
| 8 | Jim PillenPaid for by Jim Pillen for Governor | Rep. | Governor | 3 | $41.5K | |
| 9 | Nebraska Values PACPaid for by Nebraska Values PAC | Dem. | Senate | 8 | $39.6K | 100% |
| 10 | Jess Goldoni for Nebraska | Dem. | Legislature | 36 | $28.6K | 0.0% |
| 11 | Chris Backemeyer for CongressPaid for by BACKEMEYER FOR NEBRASKA | Dem. | House NE-1 | 177 | $28.1K | 54% |
| 12 | NRSC | Rep. | Senate | 42 | $27.6K | 86% |
| 13 | Nebraska Freedom and Liberty Super PACPaid for by Nebraska Freedom and Liberty Super PAC, Inc. | Rep. | Senate | 12 | $21.5K | 0.0% |
| 14 | Brent Comstock for RegentPaid for by Comstock for Regent | None | Other statewide | 125 | $21.3K | 0.8% |
| 15 | Engage for Common Sense Solutions | Rep. | Senate | 2 | $21K | |
| 16 | Pete RickettsPaid for by PETE RICKETTS FOR SENATE | Rep. | Senate | 9 | $18.8K | 44% |
| 17 | 2026 Conservative VictoryPaid for by 2026 Conservative Victory LLC | Rep. | Other statewide | 1 | $17.5K | |
| 18 | Austin Ahlman for NebraskaPaid for by Ahlman For Nebraska | None | House NE-1 | 185 | $17.4K | 17% |
| 19 | Kishla Askins for CongressPaid for by KISHLA ASKINS FOR CONGRESS | Dem. | House NE-2 | 2 | $14.7K | |
| 20 | Preserve the Good Life NebraskaPaid for by Preserve the Good Life | Dem. | Legislature | 36 | $14.2K | 100% |
| 21 | Nebraska United | Rep. | Legislature | 41 | $13.9K | 100% |
| 22 | The Truth About Josh TurekPaid for by SLF PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 12 | $13.8K | |
| 23 | Nebraska For UsPaid for by Nebraska for Us | Dem. | House, district not named | 19 | $13.3K | 100% |
| 24 | Nebraska Hospital AssociationPaid for by NEBRASKA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION | None | Legislature | 4 | $13K | |
| 25 | Mike HilgersPaid for by Friends of Mike Hilgers | Rep. | Governor | 22 | $12.4K | 0.0% |
Every page with ads about Nebraska, with search and the CSV: the advertisers.
Who was attacked
| Target | Attack spend | Mostly by |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Osborn | $159.9K | Republican side |
| Democrat Dan Osborn | $118.3K | Republican side |
| Pete Ricketts | $67.8K | Democratic side |
| Josh Turek | $44.4K | Republican side |
| Ricketts | $35.4K | Democratic side |
| Malana Bracht | $17.5K | Republican side |
| Mike Flood | $16.4K | Democratic side |
| Donald Trump | $15.3K | Democratic side |
Google and YouTube
Google’s register holds 1,519 election ads from 107 verified advertisers aimed at Nebraska alone since 4 May 2026, worth $8.6–10.5M by Google’s ranges, and 830 more named the state among others. Republican committees and their allies bought the most.
1,519
Google ads aimed at Nebraska alone
$8.6–10.5M
spent, by Google’s ranges
107
verified advertisers
38 / 62
% Dem. / Rep. side, of placed Google spend
| Advertiser | Side | Ads | Google spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Relief Nebraska | None | 53 | $844.2K – $1M |
| SLF PAC | Rep. | 132 | $674.8–823.9K |
| NRSC | Rep. | 29 | $617–714K |
| CORNHUSKER MAJORITY | Rep. | 79 | $589.2–721.7K |
| JIM PILLEN FOR GOVERNOR | Rep. | 52 | $518.6–622.4K |
An ad counts for the state only when its targeting named no other; Google’s state split is cumulative since 2018 and is not used. Spend is a sum of Google’s per-ad ranges; a side comes from the advertiser’s FEC committee, or failing that from a web search of its verified name. No ad text is published, so Google ads are not placed in races.
A state’s page counts ads about its races and measures; the state comes from the ad’s text, page and payer, or the candidate’s FEC record. Ads about no single state are not here. Candidates are those whose FEC committees paid; state and local candidates appear through their pages.