United States presidential elections in Nebraska

Presidential elections in Nebraska
Map of the United States with Nebraska highlighted
Number of elections39
Voted Democratic7
Voted Republican32
Voted other0
Voted for winning candidate24
Voted for losing candidate15

Following is a table of United States presidential elections in Nebraska, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1867, Nebraska has participated in every U.S. presidential election. Since 1992 Nebraska awards two electoral votes based on the statewide vote, and one vote for each of the three congressional districts.[1][2] The only other state to allow for split electoral college votes is Maine.[3]

Republicans in Nebraska have attempted to switch the state back to the Winner-take-all system without success. Proposals to institute winner-take-all passed the Nebraska Legislature in 1995 and 1997 but were vetoed by Democratic governor Ben Nelson. In 2016, an effort to institute winner-take-all failed after two Republicans switched their vote at the last minute.[4] A renewed push for winner-take-all, with support from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, was attempted in 2024.[5][6][7]

Winners of the state are in bold. The shading refers to the state winner, and not the national winner.

1st congressional district
2nd congressional district
3rd congressional district
Year Winner (nationally) Votes Percent Runner-up (nationally) Votes Percent Other national
candidates[a] 		Votes Percent Electoral
Votes 		Notes
2020[8] Joe Biden 374,583 39.36 Donald Trump 556,846 58.51 — 5 Electoral votes split: 4 to Trump, 1 to Biden. (Trump won statewide and in the 1st and 3rd congressional districts; Biden won in the 2nd district.)
2016[9] Donald Trump[b] 495,961 58.75 Hillary Clinton 284,494 33.70 — 5
2012[10] Barack Obama 302,081 38.03 Mitt Romney 475,064 59.80 — 5
2008[11] Barack Obama 333,319 41.60 John McCain 452,979 56.53 — 5 Electoral votes split: 4 to McCain, 1 to Obama. (McCain won statewide and in the 1st and 3rd congressional districts; Obama won in the 2nd district.)
2004[12] George W. Bush 512,814 65.90 John Kerry 254,328 32.68 — 5
2000[13] George W. Bush[b] 433,862 62.25 Al Gore 231,780 33.25 — 5
1996[14] Bill Clinton 236,761 34.95 Bob Dole 363,467 53.65 Ross Perot 71,278 10.52 5
1992 Bill Clinton 217,344 29.40 George H. W. Bush 344,346 46.58 Ross Perot 174,687 23.63 5
1988 George H. W. Bush 398,447 60.15 Michael Dukakis 259,646 39.20 — 5
1984 Ronald Reagan 460,054 70.55 Walter Mondale 187,866 28.81 — 5
1980 Ronald Reagan 419,937 65.53 Jimmy Carter 166,851 26.04 John B. Anderson 44,993 7.02 5
1976 Jimmy Carter 233,692 38.46 Gerald Ford 359,705 59.19 — 5
1972 Richard Nixon 406,298 70.50 George McGovern 169,991 29.50 — 5
1968 Richard Nixon 321,163 59.82 Hubert Humphrey 170,784 31.81 George Wallace 44,904 8.36 5
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson 307,307 52.61 Barry Goldwater 276,847 47.39 — 5
1960 John F. Kennedy 232,542 37.93 Richard Nixon 380,553 62.07 — 6
1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower 378,108 65.51 Adlai Stevenson II 199,029 34.49 T. Coleman Andrews/
Unpledged Electors[c]		 — — 6
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower 421,603 69.15 Adlai Stevenson II 188,057 30.85 — 6
1948 Harry S. Truman 224,165 45.85 Thomas E. Dewey 264,774 54.15 Strom Thurmond — — 6
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt 233,246 41.42 Thomas E. Dewey 329,880 58.58 — 6
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt 263,677 42.81 Wendell Willkie 352,201 57.19 — 7
1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt 347,445 57.14 Alf Landon 247,731 40.74 — 7
1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt 359,082 62.98 Herbert Hoover 201,177 35.29 — 7
1928 Herbert Hoover 345,745 63.19 Al Smith 197,959 36.18 — 8
1924 Calvin Coolidge 218,585 47.09 John W. Davis 137,289 29.58 Robert M. La Follette 106,701 22.99 8
1920 Warren G. Harding 247,498 64.66 James M. Cox 119,608 31.25 Parley P. Christensen — — 8
1916 Woodrow Wilson 158,827 55.28 Charles E. Hughes 117,771 40.99 — 8
1912 Woodrow Wilson 109,008 43.69 Theodore Roosevelt 72,681 29.13 William H. Taft 54,226 21.74 8
1908 William H. Taft 126,997 47.60 William Jennings Bryan 131,099 49.14 — 8
1904 Theodore Roosevelt 138,558 61.38 Alton B. Parker 52,921 23.44 — 8
1900 William McKinley 121,835 50.46 William Jennings Bryan 114,013 47.22 — 8
1896 William McKinley 103,064 46.18 William Jennings Bryan 115,007 51.53 — 8
1892 Grover Cleveland 24,943 12.46 Benjamin Harrison 87,213 43.56 James B. Weaver 83,134 41.53 8
1888 Benjamin Harrison[b] 108,425 53.51 Grover Cleveland 80,552 39.75 — 5
1884 Grover Cleveland 54,391 40.53 James G. Blaine 76,912 57.31 — 5
1880 James A. Garfield 54,979 62.87 Winfield S. Hancock 28,523 32.62 James B. Weaver 3,950 4.52 3
1876 Rutherford B. Hayes 31,915 64.7 Samuel J. Tilden 17,413 35.3 — 3
1872 Ulysses S. Grant 18,329 70.68 Horace Greeley 7,603 29.32 — 3
1868 Ulysses S. Grant 9,772 63.9 Horatio Seymour 5,519 36.1 — 3
  1. ^ "Distribution of Electoral Votes | National Archives". 19 September 2019.
  2. ^ 270 to win; Nebraska.
  3. ^ "Maine Democrats have likely run out of time to change Electoral College laws if Nebraska GOP acts". NBC News. 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  4. ^ "Winner-take-all falls short as two Republicans switch". Nebraska Public Media. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  5. ^ Pengelly, Martin (2024-04-03). "Far-right podcaster prompts Nebraska move to change electoral system". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  6. ^ Kerr, Nicholas (3 April 2024). "Lawmakers skeptical of enacting Trump-backed bill in Nebraska that could give him edge over Biden". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  7. ^ Kamisar, Ben; Bowman, Bridget; Allan, Smith (2024-04-03). "Trump and GOP leaders push to change Nebraska electoral votes to winner-take-all". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  8. ^ "Presidential Election Results: Biden Wins". The New York Times. 3 November 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  9. ^ 2016 official Federal Election Commission report.
  10. ^ 2012 official Federal Election Commission report.
  11. ^ 2008 official Federal Election Commission report.
  12. ^ "Federal Elections 2004: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Elections Commission. May 2005.
  13. ^ "2000 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  14. ^ "1996 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.


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