2018 Nebraska Legislature election
The 2018 Nebraska State Legislature elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters elected state senators in the 24 even-numbered seats of the 49 legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral. Nebraska is unique among American| states in that there is only one chamber in its state legislature, and this chamber is called the Unicameral and the State Legislature interchangeably. State senators serve four-year terms in the Nebraska Unicameral.
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24 of the 49 seats in the Nebraska Legislature 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic gain Republican gain Democratic hold Republican hold 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Nebraska |
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| Government |
A top two primary election on May 15, 2018 determined which candidates appear on the November 6 general election ballot. Each candidate technically runs as a non-partisan (i.e., no party preference).
Following the 2016 elections, Republicans maintained effective control of the Nebraska State Legislature with 32 seats. Democrats increased their numbers from 15 to 16 seats when State Senator Bob Krist of the 10th legislative district switched parties from Republican to Democrat. Furthermore, Republican state senator Jim Smith resigned from office, leaving an open seat for Republicans to defend in the 14th legislative district.
On election day 2018, the Unicameral consisted of 31 Republican seats, 16 Democratic seats, and 1 seat each for Independent Sen. Ernie Chambers and Libertarian Sen. Laura Ebke. The Democrats net gained 2 seats, while the Republicans net lost one and the chamber's lone Libertarian was defeated.