2018 Nebraska gubernatorial election

The 2018 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Nebraska, concurrently with the election of Nebraska's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various Nebraska and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Pete Ricketts won re-election to a second term.

Declared

 * Krystal Gabel, writer, candidate for Metropolitan Utilities District in 2016 and candidate for Omaha City Council in 2017
 * Pete Ricketts, incumbent governor
 * Running mate: Mike Foley, incumbent lieutenant governor

Declined

 * Mike Flood, former Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature
 * Bob Krist, state senator (running as a Democrat)

Declared

 * Tyler Davis, University of Nebraska, Omaha instructor
 * Bob Krist, state senator
 * Running Mate: Lynne Walz, state senator


 * Vanessa Gayle Ward, activist

Declined

 * Chuck Hassebrook, former Regent of the University of Nebraska and nominee for governor in 2014 (running for the legislature)
 * Steve Lathrop, former state senator (running for the legislature)

Independents
State Senator Bob Krist announced in September 2017 he left the Republican Party in order to mount a third party challenge against Governor Ricketts. Krist planned to create a new party in order to run, which will require submitting 5,000 signatures to qualify the party for the ballot. However, in February 2018 he abandoned the independent candidacy and became a Democrat.

Withdrawn

 * Bob Krist, state senator (running as a Democrat)

Predictions

 * Notes

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Burt (largest village: Tekamah)
 * Saline (largest city: Crete)
 * Thurston (largest village: Pender)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

 * Douglas (largest city: Omaha)

By congressional district
Rickets won 2 of 3 congressional districts with Krist winning the remaining one, which elected a Republican.