1988Final results
1988 election for Nebraska's 3rd District
U.S. House · Nebraska
Virginia Smith (R) won with 79.0% of the vote, defeating John D. Racek (D) by 58.1 points.
Virginia SmithRepublican · winner
79.0%170,302
John D. RacekDemocrat
21.0%45,183
215,501 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1988
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
John D. RacekVirginia Smith
$16.6K
Raised by the campaign
$271.7K
$13.5K
Spent by the campaign
$229.1K
$3.1K
Cash on hand
$53.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Nov 28, 1988; FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988