November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014 → 3 0 64.24% 35.75% | 3 0 496,276 276,239 Start date November 6, 2012 | |
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The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 and elected the three U.S. Representatives from the state of Nebraska. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on May 15, 2012.
Contents
Redistricting
A redistricting plan was passed by the Nebraska Legislature on May 24, 2011, after a five-hour Democratic-led filibuster was defeated. The plan signed into law by Republican Governor Dave Heineman.
District 1
Republican Jeff Fortenberry, who has represented Nebraska's 1st congressional district since 2005, did not run for the U.S. Senate, and is running for re-election. Dennis Parker, a former professional musician who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 3rd district in 2010, and Jessica Turek, unsuccessfully challenged Fortenberry in the Republican primary.
Korey Reiman, an attorney, sought and won the Democratic nomination to challenge Fortenberry unopposed. Robert Way, an Army combat medic, had planned to run but dropped out of the race in March 2012. (Way's name still appeared on the Democratic primary ballot.)
District 2
Republican Lee Terry, who has represented Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 1999, did not run for the U.S. Senate, and is running for re-election. Paul Anderson, an employee of BNSF Railway; Glenn Freeman, a former chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party; Jack Heidel, the chairman of the mathematics department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and Brett Lindstrom, a financial adviser and former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback, unsuccessfully challenged Terry in the Republican primary.
Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing won the Democratic nomination. He defeated state Senator Gwen Howard in the primary. Howard Warren Buffett, the director of the U.S. Department of Defense's agriculture development program in Iraq and Afghanistan and the grandson of investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, chose not to run. David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report rates the race as "Likely Republican."
Polling
District 3
Republican Adrian Smith, who has represented Nebraska's 3rd congressional district since 2007, is running for re-election. Bob Lingenfelter, a farmer and former NFL offensive lineman, unsuccessfully challenged Smith in the Republican primary.
Mark Sullivan, a farmer, sought and received the Democratic nomination unopposed.