No GOP-endorsed candidates running for Nebraska's Congressional District 1 seat

Congressional District 1 voters head into the May 14 primary election with two candidates, neither endorsed by the Nebraska GOP.

Michael Connely is challenging incumbent Mike Flood for the Congressional District 1 seat in the Republican primary election. Both candidates running without state party endorsement is a reflection of national trends, according to University of Nebraska political science professor Kevin Smith.

The party has split between traditional Republicans and populist, Trump-backed candidates, he said.

“I think what we're seeing here is a local reflection of broader national trends, divisions and conflicts within the Republican Party,” Smith said.

The state party is largely ruled by one side of this division, and they see Flood as the other, Smith added.

Most recent elections

In 2022, voters elected Mike Flood twice. In June of that year, for a special election, he narrowly defeated Patty Pansing Brooks. Just under 53% of voters chose Flood.

In November, Flood won by a wider margin, with nearly 58% of the votes, again winning against Pansing Brooks.

“Special elections are kind of strange beasts,” Smith said. “You get a different electorate in the special election than you do in a general election."

The special election was called in response to the felony indictment and resignation of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. Fortenberry was charged with lying to the FBI about where he received campaign contributions.

This year’s race

Looking toward this primary, Smith said the issues that matter to voters depend on where they live in the district.

“Lincoln is by far the largest urban area in District 1 and it tends to lean more to the center and the left than the rest of District 1, which tends to be pretty conservative and Republican,” Smith said.

Immigration, the economy, agriculture and abortion will likely be important topics this cycle, Smith said.

When it comes to voting on potential laws, he said the candidates stand on similar ground.

“Connely might advocate for more conservative versions of certain bills, but in terms of what stands a realistic chance of coming to the floor, I don't think it's going to make a ton of difference,” Smith said.

Since being elected, Flood has worked in Washington for less than two years. But Smith said it’s better to judge Flood based on his 15-plus years in the Nebraska Unicameral.

“His reputation as the state legislator and as a leader in that institution was of someone who was clearly a conservative, but also someone who got stuff done,” Smith said.

Each candidate has endorsements from multiple county Republican parties. Despite lacking support from the state party, Flood said political division isn’t top of mind.

“Is this year a little different? Oh, probably,” Flood said. “But at the end of the day, you know, we've got to focus on being unified and we've got to focus on winning in November."

Flood said he wants to earn the respect of all voters regardless of party, but that he’s a proven conservative. Meanwhile, Connely claims he is the only conservative running in District 1.

Connely has been an entrepreneur, educational director for private schools in Japan and an aviation electronics worker for the military. He ran for governor in 2022.

This year, Connely originally wanted the District 2 nomination. In March, he announced a change of plans, because he believed his ideas matched GOP-backed conservative Dan Frei in that race.

Now Connely is campaigning in District 1 and said he can offer a new perspective in Washington.

“As an educational director and having a lot more knowledge and facts on the details of the issues and with my background and military intelligence, I could educate a lot of the congressmen on what should be done,” Connely said.

Heading into Tuesday’s contests, all five of the state’s national delegation are running for reelection without state party support. However, they all have a decent shot at winning their nomination, Smith said

“I mean, so where does that leave you? You've got a state party that is openly broken with its congressional delegation. That's a weird situation,” Smith said. “Yeah, I don’t know how they navigate that.”

The winner between Connely and Flood will face off against Carol Blood, a democrat running unopposed in the primaries.