Who's In the Race

Incumbent Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) and Democrat Chris Backemeyer are on the ballot in the November 3 general election for Nebraska's 1st U.S. House District. ​

Flood has represented the district since 2022. Before Congress, he served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2005 to 2013 and again from 2020 to 2022, including serving as speaker, and he is a lawyer and owner of a statewide broadcasting network. He ran unopposed in the May 12 Republican primary.

Backemeyer was born and raised in Lincoln, earned a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in international relations, and spent 21 years at the U.S. State Department, including as a senior negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He also served on the White House National Security Council and as an adviser in the Office of the Vice President. He won the May 12 Democratic primary with about 58 percent of the vote over runner-up Eric Moyer, who received about 42 percent.

What They Stand For

Flood has made housing affordability a priority, saying the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act he helped write will increase housing supply and bring prices down, according to his official House issues page. He's also supported:

  • Tax cuts, including expanding the Child Tax Credit and reducing taxes on tips, Social Security, and overtime, according to the Nebraska Examiner voter guide,
  • Securing the border and funding border enforcement,
  • Work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, while directing federal resources to rural health facilities, according to Nebraska Public Media; and
  • Letting local communities decide whether to host data centers while protecting the Ogallala Aquifer and other environmental resources, according to Nebraska Public Media.

Backemeyer has proposed ending tariffs and trade wars to lower costs for families, according to Ballotpedia's candidate questionnaire. He's also supported:

  • Restoring Medicaid, SNAP and VA funding, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and investing in rural hospitals, according to the Nebraska Examiner voter guide,
  • Congressional oversight of the executive branch, an end to the Iran war, and the principle that Congress, not the president, holds the authority to declare war, according to Nebraska Public Media,
  • Ethics reforms including banning congressional stock trading, imposing term limits, and overturning Citizens United, according to the Nebraska Examiner voter guide; and
  • Guardrails on artificial intelligence, which he says has "enormous potential" but also poses "extreme dangers" to culture, the economy and children's safety, according to Nebraska Public Media.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Flood had raised about $2.4 million and had about $1.6 million in cash on hand, compared with about $592,000 raised by Backemeyer, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Flood's cash on hand alone exceeds Backemeyer's total receipts by nearly $969,000. Backemeyer also carries $100,000 in campaign debt as of June 30, 2026, equal to about a third of his $290,611 in cash on hand. Sierra Club Independent Action has spent $10 supporting Backemeyer.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Republican as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Republicans an 82.18% chance of winning as of Oct. 15 while Democrats stood at 17.82%.

His 2024 margin of about 60 percent slightly exceeded Donald Trump's Nebraska statewide presidential vote share of about 59 percent that same year. Republicans won all three of Nebraska's U.S. House seats in both 2022 and 2024. Trump carried Nebraska statewide in 2024 with about 59 percent of the vote.

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