Nebraska Governor
Governor · Nebraska
Jim Pillen won re-election by 8.0 points over Lynne Walz.
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State unofficial resultsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 1:22 PM ET
Where the race moved
Against the 2024 presidential vote
Every county, 2024 to 2026
Each dot is a county, sized by votes cast and colored by who carried it in 2026. Dots above the line moved toward Walz compared with the 2024 presidential vote; 93 of 93 did. The largest shift among the bigger counties: Colfax, +22.0 points.
Source: civicAPI county results (unofficial); 2024 president: MEDSL precinct returnsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 1:34 PM ET
The seat's recent races
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
By county
Show 85 more
Bar: share of the state's vote. Shift: change in margin from the 2024 presidential vote, + toward Democrats.
Source: civicAPI county results (unofficial); 2024 president: MEDSL precinct returnsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 1:34 PM ET
Polls against the result
The final average had Pillen ahead by 7.0. Pillen won by 8.0: a 1.0-point miss toward Democrats.
- Poll with Walz ahead
- Poll with Pillen ahead
- Final polling average
- Result
| Pollster | Dates | Sample | Walz | Pillen | Margin | Adjusted | Miss vs result | Grade | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Times/Siena University | Oct 23–Oct 29 | 809 LV | 39.57 | 53.09 | R+13.5 | R+15.1 | −5.5 | A | nytimes.com ↗ |
| YouGov | Oct 26–Oct 29 | 1,974 LV | 47 | 50 | R+3 | R+3.8 | +5.0 | B | d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net ↗ |
| Echelon Insights for NetChoice | Oct 16–Oct 23 | 407 LV | 40 | 47 | R+7 | R+7.3 | +1.0 | A | netchoice.org ↗ |
| National Public Affairs for God, Family, & Country PACR-sponsored | Oct 15–Oct 18 | 598 LV | 41 | 47 | R+6 | — | +2.0 | — | backend.natpublicaffairs.com ↗ |
| Global Strategy Group for Lynne Walz's campaignD-sponsored | Oct 13–Oct 18 | 800 LV | 39 | 40 | R+1 | R+4.1 | +7.0 | C | drive.google.com ↗ |
| Concord Public Opinion Partners for Education Reform Now AdvocacyD-sponsored | Oct 15–Oct 18 | 500 LV | 43 | 40 | D+3 | R+4.4 | +11.0 | B− | concordpublicopinionpartners.org ↗ |
| Public Policy Polling for Lynne Walz's campaignD-sponsoredfield: Walz, Pillen | Oct 13–Oct 14 | 571 LV | 46 | 48 | R+2 | — | +6.0 | B+ | omaha.com ↗ |
| Public Policy Polling for Lynne Walz's campaignD-sponsoredMain question · in average | Oct 13–Oct 14 | 571 LV | 43 | 44 | R+1 | R+2.4 | +7.0 | B+ | omaha.com ↗ |
| National Public Affairs for God, Family, & Country PACR-sponsored | Oct 2–Oct 5 | 800 LV | 40 | 44 | R+4 | — | +4.0 | — | backend.natpublicaffairs.com ↗ |
| YouGov | Sep 24–Oct 3 | 1,808 LV | 43 | 44 | R+1 | — | +7.0 | B | d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net ↗ |
| co/efficient | Sep 28–Sep 30 | 1,113 LV | 38 | 42 | R+4 | — | +4.0 | B+ | battlegrounds.coefficient.org ↗ |
| Lake Research Partners for Lynne Walz's campaignD-sponsored | Sep 8–Sep 14 | 900 LV | 40 | 40 | Even | — | +8.0 | B+ | omaha.com ↗ |
| SurveyUSA for Grant Forbes, LLC | Sep 8–Sep 13 | 503 LV | 35 | 43 | R+8 | — | 0.0 | A | results.surveyusa.com ↗ |
| Public Policy Polling for DGAD-sponsored | Sep 1–Sep 2 | 559 RV | 31 | 32 | R+1 | — | +7.0 | B+ | democraticgovernors.org ↗ |
| Public Policy Polling for Lynne Walz's campaignD-sponsored | Apr 6–Apr 7 | 670 RV | 33 | 38 | R+5 | — | +3.0 | B+ | drive.google.com ↗ |
Adjusted: after correcting for the pollster's house effect and likely-voter screens. Miss: the poll's margin minus the result; + means the poll leaned Democratic. Grade: the pollster's accuracy in past elections, A+ to D (pollster ratings).
Source: Each poll's release, via The New York Times and Wikipedia poll listsUpdated Oct 29, 2026
Pre-election forecast (final, Nov 3)
Our model's last run before Election Day, Nov 3, 2026. It no longer updates.
- Lynne Walz
- 9%
- Jim Pillen
- 91%
- Projected margin
- R+7.6
The candidates
Incumbent governor (2023–present)Lynne Walz (D)
Former state senator from the 15th district (2017–2025) and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018
Also on the ballot: Brett Lindstrom (Other party), 4.4%; Rick Beard (Legal Marijuana Now), 2.7%
Also on this ballot here
| U.S. Senate | R+6.2 |
| Attorney General | R+12.1 |
| Secretary of State | R+13.1 |
| Treasurer | R+16.8 |
Results within this state. Source: Results and race calls: Nebraska Secretary of State (unofficial)Updated Nov 7, 2026, 1:22 PM ET