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Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated challenger Kara Eastman (D) in the election for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District on November 6, 2018.
This swing district backed Donald Trump (R) by two percentage points in 2016, Mitt Romney (R) by seven percentage points in 2012, and Barack Obama (D) by one percentage point in 2008. Bacon won the seat by one percentage point in 2016. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included the district in its list of targets for 2018.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.
Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2018
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Don Bacon (R) | Kara Eastman (D) | Undecided/Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFM Research October 23-25, 2018 | None | 52% | 45% | 3% | +/-5.2 | 350 |
| Rob Autry and Kayla Dunlap October 1-2, 2018 | Bacon campaign | 49% | 40% | 11% | +/-4.9 | 400 |
| Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research September 27-30, 2018 | Eastman campaign | 49% | 45% | 6% | +/-4.9 | 400 |
| NYT Upshot/Siena College September 23-26, 2018 | The New York Times | 51% | 42% | 7% | +/-4.5 | 512 |
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kara Eastman | Democratic Party | $2,632,576 | $2,549,875 | $82,701 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Don Bacon | Republican Party | $2,619,424 | $2,600,432 | $49,728 | As of December 31, 2018 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018.
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Nebraska from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Nebraska Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Nebraska every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Nebraska 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
58.7% |  Hillary Clinton |
33.7% | 25.0% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
59.8% | Barack Obama |
38.0% | 21.8% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
56.5% | Barack Obama |
41.6% | 14.9% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
65.9% | John Kerry |
32.7% | 33.2% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
62.2% | Al Gore |
33.3% | 28.9% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Nebraska from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Nebraska 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ben Sasse |
64.3% | Dave Domina |
31.5% | 32.8% |
| 2012 | Deb Fischer |
57.8% | Bob Kerrey |
42.2% | 15.6% |
| 2008 | Mike Johanns |
57.5% | Scott Kleeb |
40.1% | 17.4% |
| 2006 | Ben Nelson |
63.9% | Pete Ricketts |
36.1% | 27.8% |
| 2002 | Chuck Hagel |
82.3% | Charlie Matulka |
14.6% | 67.7% |
| 2000 | Ben Nelson |
51.1% | Don Stenberg |
48.9% | 2.2% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Nebraska.
Election results (Governor), Nebraska 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Pete Ricketts |
57.2% | Chuck Hassebrook |
39.2% | 18.0% |
| 2010 | Dave Heineman |
73.9% | Mike Meister |
26.1% | 47.8% |
| 2006 | Dave Heineman |
73.4% | David Hahn |
24.5% | 48.9% |
| 2002 | Mike Johanns |
68.7% | Stormy Dean |
27.5% | 41.2% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Nebraska in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Nebraska 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2014 | 2 |
66.7% | 1 |
33.3% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2010 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2006 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2004 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2002 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
| 2002 | 3 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+3 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls the state legislature and the governor's office.
Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2019
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • 21 years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Demographic data for Nebraska
| Nebraska | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 1,893,765 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 76,824 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.3% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.7% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $52,997 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nebraska. | ||
As of July 2017, Nebraska had a population of approximately 1,920,000 people, with its three largest cities being Omaha (pop. est. 450,000), Lincoln (pop. est. 280,000), and Bellevue (pop. est. 54,000).
