Key races to watch: Term-limited GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts asked former President Trump to stay out of the Republican primary, but Trump endorsed businessman Charles Herbster last fall. Herbster, the CEO of Conklin Co., has spent millions on his gubernatorial campaign. In April the Nebraska Examiner reported that several women, including a state senator, accused Herbster of touching them inappropriately. Herbster has denied the allegations.
Ricketts has backed Jim Pillen, a member of the University of Nebraska board of regents, to replace him. A third candidate, state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, started as a long-shot but seems to be gaining steam. Last month, groups associated with Herbster and Pillen’s campaigns sent mailers calling Lindstrom a liberal. Over his time in the state legislature, Lindstrom has supported bills to remove voter ID requirements, end the death penalty in the state and increase the gas tax.
Nebraska was also slated to feature a competitive GOP primary in the 1st congressional district between Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and state Sen. Mike Flood. However, Fortenberry resigned from office in March, leaving Flood as the favorite for the seat. Fortenberry remains on the ballot and if he were to win, he’d have the option of declining the nomination and allowing his party to pick a replacement. Flood has already been selected as the GOP candidate for the June special election to fill the vacant seat.
Campaign finance: Trump-endorsed candidate Herbster boasts a sizable fundraising advantage over Pillen and Lindstrom. However, Herbster has self-funded much of his campaign.
Poll closing times: Polls close at 9 p.m. ET. Most of Nebraska uses central time but the western part of the state is on mountain time. However, polls open and close simultaneously across the state.
Voter eligibility: The deadline to mail in a voter registration application was April 22 but voters could have registered in person through May 2.
Any registered voter can vote by mail. Voters must have submitted their mail ballot request by May 2. Mail ballots must be received by the time polls close on Election Day (9 p.m. ET).
All voters can vote early in-person between April 11 and May 9.
The Nebraska Republican primary is open to only registered party members, while the Democratic primary is open to registered party members and unaffiliated voters.
Counties can open mail-in ballot envelopes 10 days before Election Day. Counting can begin one day before the election (May 9). Many counties will report mail and early votes first.