US Rep. Mike Flood narrowly wins reelection in 1st District House race

LINCOLN — Though results were too close to call Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Mike Flood celebrated a narrow victory in his bid for reelection representing Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District Wednesday morning.

Flood said the race was called in his favor moments before a press conference at the Nebraska Republican Party headquarters, and that his opponent Chris Backemeyer called to concede earlier this morning. Unofficial results showed Flood leading with 50.1% of the vote to Backemeyer’s 46.4% as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.

“This seat belongs to the people that live here,” Flood said.

Backemeyer conceded in a Wednesday press release, saying that he was proud of his campaign, and that his supporters had sent a message that “the status quo isn’t good enough.”

“I know this is not the outcome we hoped for, but it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your nominee,” Backemeyer said in the release. “I will carry your stories and experiences with me every day.”

Flood praised Backemeyer’s campaign, saying he appreciated that his messaging focused on the issues and not “character assassinations.” He said he would work to earn the favor of voters who supported Backemeyer over him.

“I know today is a tough day,” Flood said to those who voted against him. “I’ll do my best to earn your trust.”

The slim margins in the 1st District race came as a surprise to some, after Flood comfortably prevailed in his 2024 reelection bid by a margin of about 20 percentage points. Flood said the difference seemed to stretch beyond the normal headwinds expected for midterm candidates aligned with the current president’s party, and attributed it to voters upset with the country’s ongoing affordability crisis.

Flood said it was tough to predict if the close results held any implications for future elections for the seat. He said the results of federal races often depend on the national mood at the time.

“It’s really, where is America at when the polls open?” Flood said. “So it’s hard to predict what that will look like in two years.”

While a collection of historically red states flipped blue in their congressional races, Republicans celebrated Nebraska holding up a “firewall” — using U.S. Sen. Pete Rickett’s term — that allowed most GOP incumbents to hold onto their seats.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer said she was thrilled by the results. Though she lamented Brinker Harding’s loss to Democrat Denise Powell in the 2nd District, Fischer said she was pleased that her remaining Republican colleagues would be returning to Washington, D.C. with her.

“Nebraska held the line,” Fischer said.