Nebraska Secretary of State election, 2018

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Nebraska Secretary of State
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 1, 2018
	Primary: May 15, 2018; General: November 6, 2018; Pre-election incumbent(s):; John A. Gale (Republican)
How to vote
	Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Central time zone); 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain time zone); Voting in Nebraska
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2018; Impact of term limits in 2018; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Nebraska; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant governor; Attorney general; Secretary of state; Treasurer; Auditor; State board of education; State board of regents; Public service commissioner

Nebraska held an election for secretary of state on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 1, 2018.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

For more information on secretary of state elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting secretary of state was John A. Gale (R), who was first appointed to the position in 2000 following the resignation of Scott Moore. Gale was elected to a full term in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Gale announced on March 20, 2017, that he would not seek a fifth full term in 2018.
At the time of the 2018 election, Nebraska was a Republican trifecta. It first gained this status when former Gov. Mike Johanns (R) took office in 1999. At the time of the 2018 election, Nebraska was a Republican triplex.
Nebraska was won by the Republican candidate in each of the past five presidential elections leading up to the 2018 election. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 33 percent margin in 2004 while the narrowest was John McCain's 15 percent margin in 2008.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Nebraska Secretary of State

Bob Evnen defeated Spencer Danner in the general election for Nebraska Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Evnen (R)	60.6	406,632
	Submit photo	Spencer Danner (D)	39.4	263,982

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 670,614 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Nebraska Secretary of State

Spencer Danner advanced from the Democratic primary for Nebraska Secretary of State on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Spencer Danner	100.0	76,769

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 76,769
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Nebraska Secretary of State

Bob Evnen defeated Debra Perrell in the Republican primary for Nebraska Secretary of State on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Evnen	58.5	81,371
	Submit photo	Debra Perrell	41.5	57,816

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 139,187
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Nebraska heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

Following the 2014 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Nebraska.
Republicans held all three U.S. House seats in Nebraska.

State executives

As of May 2018, Republicans held six of 10 state executive positions and the remaining four positions were held by nonpartisan officials.
The governor of Nebraska was Republican Pete Ricketts.

State legislature

Republicans controlled the Nebraska unicameral with a 30-16 majority.

Trifecta status

Nebraska was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the state government. Pete Ricketts (R) served as governor and Republicans controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Nebraska elections, 2018

Nebraska held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Nebraska
	Nebraska	U.S.
Total population:	1,893,765	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	76,824	3,531,905
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) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nebraska. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

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).^[1]^[2]

State election history

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.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

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%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

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%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

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%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

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

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls the state legislature and the governor's office.

Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2024
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

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	20	21	22	23	24	25
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	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 93 Nebraska counties—1.08 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Thurston County, Nebraska	5.94%	13.91%	6.96%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Nebraska with 58.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1868 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican 82 percent of the time and Democratic 18 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican all five times.^[3]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in Nebraska. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[4]^[5]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 10 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 26.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 12 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 22.8 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 31.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 37 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state Senate District
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	35.00%	62.82%	R+27.8	25.56%	68.52%	R+43	R
2	34.70%	63.63%	R+28.9	28.10%	65.62%	R+37.5	R
3	39.04%	59.04%	R+20	36.88%	55.76%	R+18.9	D
4	33.37%	65.51%	R+32.1	37.83%	56.86%	R+19	R
5	56.53%	41.59%	D+14.9	53.64%	40.42%	D+13.2	D
6	44.02%	54.75%	R+10.7	49.08%	45.79%	D+3.3	R
7	63.42%	34.32%	D+29.1	63.88%	29.08%	D+34.8	D
8	61.53%	36.52%	D+25	63.44%	29.78%	D+33.7	D
9	58.49%	39.32%	D+19.2	61.55%	31.87%	D+29.7	D
10	45.04%	53.54%	R+8.5	44.08%	50.23%	R+6.1	I
11	91.12%	8.07%	D+83.1	85.83%	10.84%	D+75	I
12	43.61%	54.71%	R+11.1	42.37%	51.31%	R+8.9	R
13	64.84%	33.83%	D+31	61.33%	33.93%	D+27.4	D
14	37.62%	60.56%	R+22.9	36.43%	56.65%	R+20.2	R
15	38.07%	60.36%	R+22.3	29.77%	65.08%	R+35.3	D
16	31.13%	67.37%	R+36.2	23.45%	70.90%	R+47.4	R
17	43.76%	54.47%	R+10.7	33.78%	61.06%	R+27.3	R
18	44.60%	54.31%	R+9.7	45.14%	48.75%	R+3.6	R
19	25.28%	72.70%	R+47.4	19.05%	75.26%	R+56.2	R
20	42.76%	55.71%	R+13	45.35%	48.92%	R+3.6	R
21	46.85%	51.27%	R+4.4	40.87%	51.98%	R+11.1	R
22	23.32%	75.02%	R+51.7	18.05%	77.74%	R+59.7	R
23	31.22%	66.98%	R+35.8	23.17%	71.65%	R+48.5	R
24	26.29%	72.16%	R+45.9	20.95%	73.47%	R+52.5	R
25	38.80%	59.40%	R+20.6	41.24%	53.38%	R+12.1	R
26	52.21%	46.11%	D+6.1	46.82%	45.23%	D+1.6	D
27	52.75%	45.63%	D+7.1	50.52%	42.64%	D+7.9	D
28	60.87%	37.83%	D+23	59.15%	33.04%	D+26.1	D
29	47.69%	50.58%	R+2.9	49.38%	43.97%	D+5.4	D
30	38.34%	59.25%	R+20.9	31.53%	62.47%	R+30.9	R
31	33.78%	65.04%	R+31.3	36.93%	57.43%	R+20.5	D
32	35.71%	62.38%	R+26.7	27.09%	67.12%	R+40	L
33	31.50%	66.71%	R+35.2	24.02%	70.78%	R+46.8	R
34	27.77%	70.53%	R+42.8	20.10%	75.21%	R+55.1	R
35	39.62%	58.44%	R+18.8	33.52%	60.87%	R+27.3	D
36	24.72%	73.31%	R+48.6	19.26%	75.74%	R+56.5	R
37	28.68%	69.17%	R+40.5	24.94%	68.00%	R+43.1	R
38	23.21%	74.90%	R+51.7	15.08%	80.37%	R+65.3	R
39	29.09%	69.93%	R+40.8	31.42%	63.56%	R+32.1	R
40	22.84%	75.26%	R+52.4	14.16%	81.28%	R+67.1	R
41	23.54%	74.61%	R+51.1	14.72%	81.15%	R+66.4	R
42	28.61%	68.98%	R+40.4	18.33%	76.53%	R+58.2	R
43	23.14%	74.74%	R+51.6	14.87%	80.38%	R+65.5	R
44	18.45%	80.00%	R+61.6	12.02%	84.03%	R+72	R
45	40.96%	57.13%	R+16.2	37.00%	55.32%	R+18.3	D
46	60.88%	37.77%	D+23.1	53.57%	38.24%	D+15.3	D
47	21.99%	75.82%	R+53.8	13.60%	81.46%	R+67.9	R
48	30.41%	67.81%	R+37.4	22.76%	71.50%	R+48.7	R
49	34.76%	63.76%	R+29	34.09%	59.61%	R+25.5	R
Total	38.21%	60.08%	R+21.9	34.35%	59.89%	R+25.5	-
Source: Daily Kos

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nebraska secretary of state election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Nebraska Secretary of State election, 2018 - Google News

External links

Suggest a link

Nebraska secretary of state official website

Footnotes

[1] United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Nebraska," accessed January 9, 2018

[2] Nebraska Demographics, "Nebraska Cities by Population," accessed January 9, 2018

[3] 270towin.com, "Nebraska," accessed July 30, 2017

[4] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013

[5] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

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