2020 United States Senate election in Nebraska facts for kids
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County results
Sasse: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% |
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On November 3, 2020, people in Nebraska voted for a new Senator. This election was to choose who would represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate. The main candidates were Ben Sasse from the Republican Party and Chris Janicek from the Democratic Party.
Ben Sasse won the election. This meant he would serve a second term as Senator for Nebraska. The election had a unique situation. The Democratic Party stopped supporting Chris Janicek. Instead, they supported Preston Love Jr., who ran as a write-in candidate. However, Chris Janicek's name was still on the official ballot.
Contents
What is a Primary Election?
Before the main election, parties hold "primary elections." This is how political parties choose their best candidate. People vote for who they want to represent their party. The winner of the primary then goes on to the big election.
Republican Party Primary
The Republican Party primary election happened on March 12, 2020. Two people wanted to be the Republican candidate.
- Ben Sasse was the current Senator and won the primary election.
- Matt Innis also ran in the primary.
Democratic Party Primary
The Democratic Party primary election also happened on March 12, 2020. Seven people ran to be the Democratic candidate.
- Chris Janicek won this primary election.
- Other candidates included Angie Philips, Alisha Shelton, and Andy Stock.
Libertarian Party Primary
The Libertarian Party also held a primary election.
- Gene Siadek was the only person who ran in this primary. He won and became the Libertarian candidate.
Write-in Candidates
A write-in candidate is someone whose name is not printed on the ballot. Voters have to write their name in themselves.
- Preston Love Jr. was a write-in candidate. The Democratic Party supported him after they stopped supporting Chris Janicek.
Main Election Results
On November 3, 2020, people voted for their Senator. Here are the final results:
| United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Ben Sasse (incumbent) | 583,507 | 62.74% | -1.60% | |
| Democratic | Chris Janicek | 227,191 | 24.43% | -7.05% | |
| Democratic | Preston Love Jr. (write-in) | 58,411 | 6.28% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Gene Siadek | 55,115 | 5.93% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 5,788 | 0.62% | +0.54% | ||
| Total votes | 930,012 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Ben Sasse, the Republican candidate, won the election with 62.74% of the votes. Chris Janicek, the Democratic candidate on the ballot, received 24.43% of the votes. Preston Love Jr., the write-in candidate supported by the Democratic Party, got 6.28% of the votes. Gene Siadek, the Libertarian candidate, received 5.93% of the votes.
