Chase County sees nearly 49% voter turnout in 2026 primary election

Chase County voters turned out Tuesday for Nebraska’s 2026 primary election, with unofficial results showing strong support for incumbent and well-known Republican candidates in federal, state and local races. A total of 952 ballots were cast in the county.
According to unofficial results, 846 Republican ballots were cast, compared to 64 Democratic ballots, four Libertarian ballots and 38 nonpartisan ballots. Eight blank ballots were also recorded.
Chase County reported a voter turnout of approximately 48.6%, based on 952 ballots cast out of roughly 1,960 registered voters in the county.
In the Republican race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Pete Ricketts overwhelmingly carried Chase County with 726 votes. Todd Knebel received 30 votes, Debb Axtell Schultz received 26, Mac Stevens earned nine votes, Eric Mortimore received eight and Write-In candidates collected three votes.
Republican voters also favored incumbent Congressman Adrian Smith in Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District race. Smith received 510 votes to challenger David P. Huebner’s 291 votes.
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Gov. Jim Pillen led Chase County with 667 votes. John Walz received 59 votes, Sheila J. Korth-Focken earned 37, Gary L. Rogge received 16, Jacy Todd received 10 and Sal Holguin received three votes.
The race for Chase County sheriff drew local interest, with incumbent Rob D. Browning defeating challenger Justin E. Mueller by a wide margin. Browning received 768 votes to Mueller’s 72.
In other Republican statewide races, Scott Petersen led the secretary of state contest locally with 431 votes over Bob Evnen’s 269. Joey Spellerberg received 653 votes in the state treasurer race, Mike Hilgers earned 662 votes for attorney general and Mike Foley received 669 votes for state auditor.
Democratic voters in Chase County favored Cindy Burk in the U.S. Senate race with 52 votes over William J. Forbes’ 10. Becky Kelly Stille received 54 votes in the Democratic congressional race. Lynne Walz led the Democratic gubernatorial contest locally with 45 votes, compared to Larry Marvin’s 11.
In the nonpartisan legislative race for District 44, incumbent Teresa Ibach received 721 votes.
For the State Board of Education District 7 seat, Elizabeth Tegtmeier received 720 votes in Chase County.
Results remain unofficial pending canvassing by election officials.
See page 2 for a graphic with a full breakdown of the results.