U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., and Democrat Chris Backemeyer will face off for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District in November 2026. Flood represents a district spanning 12 counties, including Lancaster County, home to heavily Democratic Lincoln. He has won his past two U.S. House elections by 20 and 16 percentage points. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have recently shifted Flood’s race from safe – or solid – Republican to likely Republican.
Backemeyer, the Democratic challenger, has stayed under the radar throughout the cycle with few national outlets mentioning Backemeyer’s bid against Flood. If Backemeyer pulls off an upset, it would likely signal a historic night for Democrats nationally.
Flood downplayed the rating changes, saying they likely reflect the political environment rather than the polling data. The former legislative speaker said he’d been in a race like this before, pointing to a 2022 special election against Patty Pansing Brooks. “I think the message is I’m a proven entity,” Flood told the Examiner. “I am rooted in this state, and I know its people, and I’ve delivered results. I’m not trying to get on TV every day or, you know, be a showboat. I’m trying to deliver for the people of my home state.”
Backemeyer said he believed this race was winnable from the start because he appeals to “the part of the electorate that’s sort of center left (and) center right.” “The last thing we needed was the National Democratic Party telling us what to do in Nebraska’s 1st District, and so we’ve been able to run our own race,” Backemeyer said. “They finally have woken up and said, ‘Oh, holy cow! There’s actually a race here.’”
Backemeyer is a former diplomat who launched his bid shortly after he asked a question at one of Flood’s rowdy town halls last year. After winning his Democratic primary, Backemeyer then faced a brief month’s spat with Austin Ahlam, who joined the race as a nonpartisan before suspending his campaign over concerns about his father’s health.
One recurring issue in this House race has been the Iran war. During the only debate in this race, Backemeyer emphasized his work on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal under then-President Barack Obama, saying the deal would have prevented the current war but was torn up for “partisan political purposes.” The war in the Middle East has been ongoing since February. The war has caused high gas prices and skyrocketed farmers’ fertilizer costs. Flood, much like other Republicans in the midterm races, has acknowledged the increased prices. Flood has pointed to tax cuts from Trump’s tax and spending law and his role in passing a landmark housing law earlier this year as examples of his delivering for constituents.
Flood has defended his votes for the war, saying the United States can’t pull out of Iran as it did in Afghanistan during the Biden administration. Flood has criticized the 2015 nuclear deal, calling it a “failed” deal. He recently told ABC’s affiliate KETV that he doesn’t want to
