2026 forecast · Nebraska 1st

Chris Backemeyer is slightly favored to win Nebraska's 1st District.

Chris Backemeyer vs Mike Flood. The model has Backemeyer ahead by 1.4 points, winning 59 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Toss upModel D +1.4Polls R +0.0Updated October 22, 2026
Chris Backemeyer
Democrat
49.8%
127,616 projected votes
Mike Flood
Republican
48.4%
123,888 projected votes
59%Backemeyer
41%Flood
Backemeyer slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Backemeyer wins about 59 of 100
RatingToss up59% chance for Backemeyer
Model marginD +1.4Polls R +0.0
80 percent rangeD +9.5 to R +6.92,000 simulations
Projected votes256,162Backemeyer 49.8%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Nebraska districts

3 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Chris BackemeyerDemocrat · 59% to win
49.8%
Mike FloodRepublican · 41% to win
48.4%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

256,162 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Chris Backemeyer D127,61649.8%
Mike Flood R123,88848.4%
Nik Sandman L4,6571.8%
Total256,162100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%59% Backemeyer41% Flood15 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Nebraska governor polling average
28%30%32%34%36%38%40%42%44%46%48%50%MayJunJulAugSepOct41.2Walz43.8Pillen
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
National Public AffairsOct 5 · 800 LV · NR18%Pillen +4.0
Public Policy Polling (D)Oct 14 · 571 RV · D-17%Pillen +1.0
co/efficient (R)Sep 30 · 1,113 LV · C+17%Pillen +5.0
YouGovOct 3 · 1,809 LV · C16%Pillen +1.0
SurveyUSASep 13 · 503 LV · C+16%Pillen +8.0
Lake Research Partners (D)Sep 14 · 600 RV · NR15%Even
Every other poll together: 0.7%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +0.0

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Backemeyer +1.4
Chance of winning
Chris Backemeyer59%
Mike Flood41%
Simulated vote
Chris Backemeyer49.8%
Mike Flood48.4%
Nik Sandman1.8%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +13.0
FundamentalsD +1.7
With pollsR +0.5
Early vote turnoutD +1.9
With early voteD +1.4

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in Nebraska, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +16R +16Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +13.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +1.7With pollsaverage R +0.0R +0.5With early voteturnout so farD +1.4
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.