In the 2000 presidential elections, Republican candidate George W. Bush secured 63% of the vote; Democrat Al Gore, 33%; and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, 3%. In 2002 there were 1,083,544 registered voters. In 1998, 37% of registered voters were Democratic, 49% Republican, and 14% unaffiliated or members of other parties. The state had five electoral votes in the 2000 presidential election.
In the 2000 elections, Democrat Ben Nelson was elected to the Senate; Republican Chuck Hagel won election to the Senate in 1996 and was reelected in 2002. In 1998 Republican Mike Johanns was elected to succeed Nelson as governor; Johanns was reelected in 2002. Republicans won all three of the state's seats in the US House of Representatives in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. Nebraska's unicameral state legislature is nonpartisan.
Nebraska Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2000
YEAR | ELECTORAL VOTE | NEBRASKA WINNER | DEMOCRAT | REPUBLICAN |
* Won US presidential election. | ||||
* * Independent candidate Ross Perot received 174,687 votes in 1992 and 71,278 votes in 1996. | ||||
1948 | 6 | Dewey (R) | 224,165 | 264,774 |
1952 | 6 | *Eisenhower (R) | 188,057 | 421,603 |
1956 | 6 | *Eisenhower (R) | 199,029 | 378,108 |
1960 | 6 | Nixon (R) | 232,542 | 380,553 |
1964 | 5 | *Johnson (D) | 307,307 | 276,847 |
1968 | 5 | *Nixon (R) | 170,784 | 321,163 |
1972 | 5 | *Nixon (R) | 169,991 | 406,298 |
1976 | 5 | Ford (R) | 233,692 | 359,705 |
1980 | 5 | *Reagan (R) | 166,424 | 419,214 |
1984 | 5 | *Reagan (R) | 187,866 | 460,054 |
1988 | 5 | *Bush (R) | 259,235 | 397,956 |
1992** | 5 | Bush (R) | 217,344 | 344,346 |
1996** | 5 | Dole (R) | 236,761 | 363,467 |
2000 | 5 | *Bush, G. W. (R) | 231,780 | 433,862 |