This year’s filing deadline for incumbents running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Nebraska was Feb. 17, 2026. The filing deadline for non-incumbents was March 2, 2026.

This year ties with 2020 for the second-highest number of candidates running for the U.S. House since 2014. Fourteen candidates — 10 Democrats and four Republicans — are running for Nebraska’s three congressional districts. That’s 4.7 candidates per district. There were 3.7 candidates per district in 2024, five in 2022, 4.7 in 2020, 3.7 in 2018, two in 2016, and 3.7 in 2014.

Most of the candidates — seven Democrats and one Republican — running this year are running in the 2nd Congressional District. The district is open this year because incumbent Rep. Don Bacon (R) is retiring from public office. This year is the second time since 2014 that a district has been open. The other time was in 2022, when one district was open.

Three primaries — two Democratic and one Republican — are contested this year. In total, there were four contested primaries in 2024, six in 2022, four in 2020, three in 2018, one in 2016, and four in 2014.

One incumbent — Rep. Adrian Smith (R-3rd) — is running in a contested primary. There were three incumbents in contested primaries in 2024, two in 2022, two in 2020, one in 2018, none in 2016, and three in 2014.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all three districts, meaning no districts are guaranteed to either party.

Nebraska and one other state, West Virginia, are holding U.S. House primaries on May 12, 2026.

In Nebraska, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes, even if they do not win an outright majority of votes cast.