1996Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1996 election for U.S. Senate in Nebraska
U.S. Senate · Nebraska
Charles Hagel (R) won with 57.4% of the vote, defeating Ben Nelson (D) by 14.8 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Charles HagelRepublican · winner
57.4%379,933
Ben NelsonDemocrat
42.6%281,904
661,837 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 1996
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.
Ben NelsonCharles Hagel
$2.2M
Raised by the campaign
$3.6M
$2.2M
Spent by the campaign
$3.6M
$19.5K
Cash on hand
$48K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996