Ahlman Hits Signature Threshold to Make Ballot, Ready to Take On Flood and Backemeyer
by Lewis Thune and Matt Johnson
(Picture credit Austin Ahlman)
Independent candidate Austin Ahlman confirmed to The Plains Sentinel that he has collected enough signatures necessary to make the ballot this fall in his bid to take on incumbent Congressman Mike Flood and Democratic challenger Chris Backemeyer in Nebraska’s 1st congressional district.
Ahlman told The Plains Sentinel he would continue to collect signatures until he has a “healthy buffer,” but the campaign crossed the 2,000 signature threshold in the past week. Ahlman said he expects to submit signatures to the secretary of state’s office “close to the end of the month.”
“I imagine both parties are pretty keen on keeping us off the ballot, so we can’t take anything for granted,” he added.
Ahlman, who is from Norfolk, worked in Washington D.C. as a journalist who covered big tech for the Open Markets Institute. He has since relocated back to Norfolk after his father received a cancer diagnosis.
Ahlman has credited his political beginnings to the closing of the Norfolk Tyson Foods plant in 2006. He likens the current state of American politics to that of the Gilded Age in the late 1800s. As he explained in his first town hall on June 11, that is exactly why he believes his campaign is viable.
His run has caused a stir with the Democratic party, which claims he is playing spoiler as progressives in the state seek to unseat Flood. Ahlman told The Plains Sentinel that he has not had any contact with Backemeyer since he launched his campaign and said Backemeyer “seems pretty dug in” on staying in the race.
When asked about the risk of splitting the anti-Flood ticket with Backemeyer, he appealed to the prior success of Dan Osborn in 2024.
“Osborn won this district in 2024,” he said. “I think that the message that I have as an independent brings a lot more people in than they ever will.”
He listed his major priorities as anti-monopolization, fighting against AI data center usage within the state, and ending United States involvement in foreign conflicts. Ahlman, who is gay, also expressed an aversion to culture war issues.
“You’re not going to hear me go on culture war rants, because I fundamentally believe that most of these things are just like invented in the lab somewhere to make sure that we’re focused on everybody except for the elites that are picking our pockets,” he said.
He’s backed conservatives on gun rights and decried mandatory surveillance systems in newly manufactured cars, as well as called outgoing GOP Congressman Thomas Massie “one of the best” in Congress. He’s also endorsed liberal positions such as campaign finance reform, increasing taxes on the rich, and expanding Medicare and Social Security.
Cook Political lists the district 1 seat still in the “Solid R” category. Dual May polls by Zenith Research showed Flood leading both Backemeyer and Ahlman in head-to-head races by 7 and 8 points respectively. Tavern Research’s May 21 three-way poll showed Ahlman receiving 9% to Backemeyer’s 33% and Flood’s 41%.
Whether Ahlman’s independent run will appeal to voters will be seen this November.
— Lewis Thune is a writing fellow with The Plains Sentinel.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.