2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska
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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.[1]
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November 6, 2012
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All 3 Nebraska seats to the United States House of Representatives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Redistricting
A redistricting plan was passed by the Nebraska Legislature on May 24, 2011,[2] after a five-hour Democratic-led filibuster was defeated.[3][4] The plan signed into law by Republican Governor Dave Heineman.[5]
District 1
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November 6, 2012
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 County results Fortenberry: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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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.[6]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jeff Fortenberry, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary
- Dennis Parker, former professional musician and candidate for the 3rd district in 2010,[7]
- Jessica Turek, writer and drummer[8]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Fortenberry (incumbent) | 55,658 | 86.4 | |
| Republican | Jessica Turek | 5,255 | 8.2 | |
| Republican | Dennis Parker | 3,511 | 5.4 | |
| Total votes | 64,424 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Korey Reiman, attorney[10]
Withdrawn
- Robert Way, Army combat medic[10][11]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Korey Reiman | 14,804 | 62.9 | |
| Democratic | Robert Way (withdrawn) | 8,728 | 37.1 | |
| Total votes | 23,532 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Fortenberry (incumbent) | 174,889 | 68.3 | |
| Democratic | Korey L. Reiman | 81,206 | 31.7 | |
| Total votes | 256,095 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[15] | Safe R | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg[16] | Safe R | November 2, 2012 |
| Roll Call[17] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[18] | Safe R | November 5, 2012 |
| NY Times[19] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| RCP[20] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| The Hill[21] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
District 2
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November 6, 2012
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 County results Terry: 60–70% Ewing: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican Lee Terry, who has represented Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 1999, did not run for the U.S. Senate, and ran for re-election.[6]
David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report rates the race as "Likely Republican."[22]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lee Terry, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary
- Paul Anderson, employee of BNSF Railway[23]
- Glenn Freeman, former chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party[24]
- Jack Heidel, the chairman of the mathematics department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha;[25]
- Brett Lindstrom, a financial adviser and former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback[26]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lee Terry (incumbent) | 27,998 | 59.5 | |
| Republican | Brett Lindstrom | 10,753 | 22.8 | |
| Republican | Jack Heidel | 5,406 | 11.5 | |
| Republican | Glenn Freeman | 1,885 | 4.0 | |
| Republican | Paul Anderson | 1,051 | 2.2 | |
| Total votes | 47,093 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Ewing Jr., Douglas County Treasurer[27]
Eliminated in primary
- Gwen Howard, state senator[28]
Declined
- Howard Warren Buffett, 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[29]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Ewing | 17,954 | 62.0 | |
| Democratic | Gwen Howard | 11,009 | 38.0 | |
| Total votes | 28,963 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Campaign
After his primary victory, Ewing promptly took a break from fundraising before starting up again at the end of June.By the end of the fundraising quarter had only raised $300,000 to Terry's $1.3 million. The Omaha World-Herald would later describe this is "perhaps the race's defining moment" and one that prevented Ewing from gaining much traction in the general election.[30]
Terry's campaign also made mistakes, most notably releasing an ad that inaccurately quoted a nonprofit advocacy group.[31]
Endorsements
Organizations
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Lee Terry (R) |
John Ewing (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiese Research Associates[34] | October 23–25, 2012 | 352 (LV) | ±5.2% | 47% | 42% | 11% |
| DCCC (D)[35] | October 14, 2012 | 525 (LV) | ±4.3% | 48% | 44% | 7% |
| Wiese Research Associates[36] | September 17–20, 2012 | 331 (LV) | ±5.4% | 52% | 39% | 10% |
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[37] | Likely R | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg[16] | Safe R | November 2, 2012 |
| Roll Call[17] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[18] | Safe R | November 5, 2012 |
| NY Times[19] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| RCP[20] | Lean R | November 4, 2012 |
| The Hill[21] | Likely R | November 4, 2012 |
Results
Despite receiving very little help from national Democrats, Ewing outperformed Obama and lost to Terry by just 4,197 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lee Terry (incumbent) | 133,964 | 50.8 | |
| Democratic | John Ewing Jr. | 129,767 | 49.2 | |
| Total votes | 263,731 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 3
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November 6, 2012
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 County results Smith: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican Adrian Smith, who has represented Nebraska's 3rd congressional district since 2007, is running for re-election.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Adrian Smith, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary
- Bob Lingenfelter, farmer and former NFL offensive lineman[8]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Adrian Smith (incumbent) | 62,645 | 81.4 | |
| Republican | Bob Lingenfelter | 14,297 | 18.6 | |
| Total votes | 76,942 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mark Sullivan, farmer[10]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Sullivan | 17,500 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 17,500 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[15] | Safe R | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg[16] | Safe R | November 2, 2012 |
| Roll Call[17] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[18] | Safe R | November 5, 2012 |
| NY Times[19] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| RCP[20] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
| The Hill[21] | Safe R | November 4, 2012 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Adrian Smith (incumbent) | 187,423 | 74.2 | |
| Democratic | Mark Sullivan | 65,266 | 25.8 | |
| Total votes | 252,689 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||