Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District covers a broad stretch of eastern Nebraska, anchored by Lancaster County and the state capital of Lincoln, and has been represented since July 2022 by Republican Mike Flood, a former Nebraska Legislature Speaker and media executive from Norfolk. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district by about 68,000 voters, and no Democrat has won the seat since 1964.1Nebraska Examiner. Mike Flood Beats Patty Pansing Brooks in Nebraska’s 1st District
Where the District Is
The 1st District stretches from Lincoln north and east through farm country to include Norfolk, Columbus, Fremont, and Nebraska City. Rep. Flood’s office lists the district as including the full counties of Butler, Cass, Colfax, Cuming, Dodge, Lancaster, Madison, Platte, Seward, and Stanton, along with portions of Polk and Sarpy Counties.2Office of Rep. Mike Flood. Our District Census Bureau maps for the 118th Congress show a wider set of whole or partial counties, including Boone, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Fillmore, Gage, Hamilton, Johnson, Merrick, Nance, Nemaha, Otoe, Pierce, Saline, Saunders, Thurston, Washington, Wayne, and York.3U.S. Census Bureau. Congressional District 118 NE-01 Map
The current boundaries came out of the redistricting cycle after the 2020 census. Nebraska’s unicameral legislature passed new congressional maps in a special session on September 30, 2021, and Governor Pete Ricketts signed them the same day.4Nebraska Public Media. Redistricting Maps Approved5Bloomberg Government. New Nebraska Congressional Map Keeps Swing District in Omaha1Nebraska Examiner. Mike Flood Beats Patty Pansing Brooks in Nebraska’s 1st District
District boundaries matter more in Nebraska than in most states. Nebraska is one of only two states, along with Maine, that awards presidential electoral votes by congressional district.5Bloomberg Government. New Nebraska Congressional Map Keeps Swing District in Omaha
Who Lives There
The district’s population is roughly 673,000, with a median age around 36. It is about 76% white, 13% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 3% Black, with about 5% identifying as two or more races. Median household income is near $78,000, and about 11% of residents live below the poverty line. Educational attainment runs high: 93% of adults hold at least a high school diploma, and about 37% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.6Census Reporter. Congressional District 1, NE
The economy splits roughly along urban and rural lines. Lincoln runs on state government, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, insurance and financial services, health care, and a growing technology sector sometimes called the “Silicon Prairie.”7City of Lincoln. Lincoln/Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan – Business Major Lincoln-area employers include Lincoln Public Schools, the State of Nebraska, the University of Nebraska, Nelnet, BryanLGH Medical Center, and Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing.8Select Lincoln. Work in Lincoln Across the broader district, the largest employment sectors are health care and social assistance, manufacturing, and educational services.9Data USA. Congressional District 1, NE Agriculture dominates the rural counties, and ethanol production, meatpacking, and value-added agriculture are significant regional industries.
The Current Representative: Mike Flood
Mike Flood grew up in Norfolk, attended the University of Notre Dame, and earned his law degree from the University of Nebraska. While still in law school, he founded Flood Communications, starting with a single Norfolk radio station and building it into a statewide media operation. He won election to the Nebraska Legislature in 2005 representing Madison County, and in 2007 he became the youngest Speaker of the Legislature in state history.10Office of Rep. Mike Flood. About Congressman Mike Flood
Committees and Caucus Role
In the 119th Congress, Flood chairs the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, and also serves on the Financial Institutions Subcommittee and the Monetary Policy, Treasury Market Resilience, and Economic Prosperity Task Force.10Office of Rep. Mike Flood. About Congressman Mike Flood11Office of Rep. Mike Flood. Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chair Flood12House Financial Services Committee. Housing for the 21st Century Act
In July 2025, Flood was elected chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus, succeeding Rep. Dusty Johnson. The caucus counts more than 80 members and positions itself as a bloc of pragmatic conservatives. Flood has used the role to push for completing the annual appropriations process rather than relying on continuing resolutions.13The Hill. Mike Flood Main Street Caucus Funding14Republican Main Street Caucus. Main Street Caucus Elects Rep. Flood Chair
Policy Priorities
Flood’s legislative agenda tracks the district’s agricultural economy. He has cosponsored legislation to allow year-round sales of E-15 ethanol fuel, co-led a bill on labeling standards for plant-based and cell-cultivated protein products, supported the 2026 farm bill, pushed for federal investment in precision agriculture research at UNL, and introduced a bipartisan bill supporting the sustainable aviation fuel industry.15Office of Rep. Mike Flood. What Rep. Flood Is Doing to Grow American Agriculture and Energy
On trade, Flood has generally aligned with the Trump administration, opposing a resolution that would have undermined U.S. trade negotiations with Canada and praising the U.S.-U.K. trade deal as an opening for Nebraska beef.16Office of Rep. Mike Flood. Congressman Flood: US-UK Trade Deal Expands Trade Opportunities for Nebraska Heritage Action gives him a 79% score for the 119th Congress. He has departed from the hard right at times, opposing measures to defund the National Endowment for Democracy and to strip earmarks from a spending bill, while supporting proof-of-citizenship voter registration requirements and a ban on a government-issued central bank digital currency.17Heritage Action. Rep. Mike Flood Scorecard
How Flood Won the Seat
Flood came to the House through a special election after Republican Jeff Fortenberry resigned effective March 31, 2022. Fortenberry, who had held the seat since 2005, stepped down after a federal jury on March 24, 2022, found him guilty on one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.18NPR. Nebraska Fortenberry Resigns19U.S. Department of Justice. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry Found Guilty The charges grew out of a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser at which $30,000 in illegal contributions from Nigerian-Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury were funneled through straw donors to Fortenberry’s campaign. An appeals court later overturned the conviction on jurisdictional grounds, and the Trump Justice Department moved to drop refiled charges with prejudice in January 2025.20Nebraska Examiner. Trump Justice Department Files to Drop Charges Against Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry
Because Nebraska law does not allow the governor to appoint a replacement for a vacant House seat, Fortenberry’s resignation triggered a special election.18NPR. Nebraska Fortenberry Resigns21The New York Times. Results: Nebraska U.S. House District 1 Special Election22Nebraska Examiner. Flood Sworn In as Nebraska’s Newest U.S. Congressional Representative He beat Pansing Brooks again that November for a full term, about 56% to 43%, and won re-election in 2024 against Democratic State Senator Carol Blood with roughly 60% of the vote.1Nebraska Examiner. Mike Flood Beats Patty Pansing Brooks in Nebraska’s 1st District23The New York Times. Results: Nebraska U.S. House District 1
The 2026 Race
Flood is running for a third full term in 2026. Federal Election Commission filings show him as the sole Republican in the race and the leading fundraiser.24Federal Election Commission. Nebraska House District 01, 2026
Two Democrats have entered. Chris Backemeyer, a Lincoln native, spent 20 years with the State Department and the National Security Council and served as a national security advisor to former Vice President Kamala Harris; his campaign focuses on the cost of tariffs and cuts to social programs. Eric Moyer, a Lincoln-based renewable energy advocate, announced his campaign in August 2025.25Nebraska Public Media. Second Democrat Enters 1st Congressional District Race
An independent, Austin Ahlman, joined the race in May 2026. Ahlman is a journalist from Norfolk who previously covered Nebraska politics for The American Prospect. His platform centers on affordability, including eliminating federal taxes on the first $38,000 of income, capping drug prices, and supporting Medicare for All.26Nebraska Examiner. New Nonpartisan Push in NE-01 as Austin Ahlman Jumps Into Race To appear on the November ballot, Ahlman must submit at least 2,000 signatures from district voters by August 2026. His campaign reported passing 1,000 signatures by mid-June 2026.27Nebraska Public Media. 1st District Independent Candidate Makes Populist Pitch at Lincoln Town Hall Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb has publicly called Ahlman a “spoiler candidate,” a label he disputes.
Given the district’s Republican registration advantage and the fact that no Democrat has won the seat in more than six decades, Flood enters the cycle as a heavy favorite.