Campaign

Pillen, Walz to square off in Nebraska governor race

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by Julia Mueller - 05/12/26 9:07 PM ET

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by Julia Mueller - 05/12/26 9:07 PM ET

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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) is projected to face off this fall against former state Sen. Lynne Walz (D) for another term leading the Cornhusker State, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Pillen, a first-term governor, is running for reelection with President Trump’s support after successfully defeating a Trump-backed challenger for the 2022 nomination.

Walz, a distant relative of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), was projected to win the Democratic primary. She represented a red district in the Nebraska state Legislature, which is officially nonpartisan. She also ran in 2018 as a lieutenant governor candidate alongside Democrat Bob Krist, but the pair lost to then-Gov. Pete Ricketts (R).

Still, Pillen is the ostensible favorite to win this fall in the state Trump won by around 20 points in the last presidential election. Cook Political Report rates it a “solid” Republican seat.

Republicans have held the Cornhustker State’s governorship for nearly three decades, and the party also controls both Senate and all three House seats.

At the same time, Democrats are hopeful that they have a chance to oust sitting Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts (Neb.) in the Senate race.

They’re attempting to clear their party field for independent Dan Osborn, who came surprisingly close to ousting Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in 2024, to square off against Ricketts in November.

Nebraska’s “blue dot” district around Omaha notably sided with the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential cycles, despite the rest of the state’s red lean. In 2024, it voted for former Vice President Harris, whose running mate was Tim Walz.

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