2026 forecast · Nebraska 3rd

Adrian Smith is all but certain to win Nebraska's 3rd District.

Becky Stille vs Adrian Smith. The model has Smith ahead by 40.0 points, winning 100 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Safe RModel R +40.0Updated October 22, 2026
Becky Stille
Democrat
28.9%
77,133 projected votes
Adrian Smith
Republican
68.9%
183,724 projected votes
100%Smith
0%Stille
Smith all but certainEach square is one simulated election night, Smith wins about 100 of 100
RatingSafe R100% chance for Smith
Model marginR +40.0No polls in the race
80 percent rangeR +32.7 to R +46.92,000 simulations
Projected votes266,785Smith 68.9%

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

Becky StilleDemocrat · 0% to win
28.9%
Adrian SmithRepublican · 100% to win
68.9%

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

266,785 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Adrian Smith R183,72468.9%
Becky Stille D77,13328.9%
Dave Else I5,9282.2%
Total266,785100%

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%0% Stille100% Smith16 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 averageNo polls

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
Smith +40.0
Chance of winning
Becky Stille0%
Adrian Smith100%
Simulated vote
Becky Stille28.9%
Adrian Smith68.9%
Dave Else2.2%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +54.0
FundamentalsR +39.8
With pollsR +41.6
Early vote turnoutD +1.6
With early voteR +40.0

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 +65R +65Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +54.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +39.8With pollsno pollsR +41.6With early voteturnout so farR +40.0
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.