Democrats Continue Fundraising Lead in Legislative Races With Goal of Breaking GOP Supermajority

by John Gage

(Photo courtesy of the Nebraska Capitol Commission)

OMAHA – Nebraska Democrats, as well as aligned groups and candidates, have outraised and outspent Republicans in key legislative races as progressives seek to break the GOP’s 33-vote supermajority in the Nebraska Unicameral. Republicans currently hold 33-seats, which means Democrats only need to pick up one seat to achieve their goal.

This week, candidates and independent committees were required to file reports with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC), and the reports show a distinct fundraising advantage this year for Democrats as they enter the general election.

Republican incumbents were the only candidates in battleground seats to outraise or outspend their general election opponents so far this year. Almost all of the half dozen or so legislative races that will decide whether Republicans keep or lose a supermajority in the Legislature are located within the Omaha metro.

Republican State Sen. Brad von Gillern, representing Legislative District 4, raised nearly $90,000 in 2026, spent $155,000, and has $136,000 cash on hand (COH). Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek, running as a progressive Independent against von Gillern, raised $107,000 in 2026, spent $100,000, and has $33,000 COH.

State Sen. Merv Riepe, a Republican representing Legislative District 12, raised nearly $50,000, spent just over $50,000, and has $50,000 COH. Riepe’s general election opponent, Democrat Christy Knorr, raised less than $8,000 and spent less than $7,000 in 2026. Riepe, though, was outraised and outspent in the primary by another opponent, Democrat Robin Richards, who ran as a write-in candidate but failed to make the general election.

Republican State Sen. Rick Holdcroft, in District 36, raised $130,000 this year, spent $125,000, and has $78,000 COH. His Democratic opponent, Darin Tompkins, raised $80,000, spent nearly $100,000, and has $17,000 COH.

In Legislative District 14 where Speaker John Arch is term-limited out, Democrat SuAnn Witt leads Republican Bill Bowes with nearly $20,000 COH, while Bowes has just under $10,000. Witt outraised Bowes in 2026 with $117,000 in contributions, while Bowes had $34,000 in contributions. Witt spent nearly $100,000 in 2026 while Bowes spent $65,000.

Taylor Royal, a Republican looking to replace State Sen. Christy Amendariz in Legislative District 18, was outraised in 2026 by Democrat Jess Goldoni $45,000 to $127,000. Royal spent just under $70,000 this spring while Goldoni spent $127,000. Goldoni also has the COH advantage with a cash balance of $28,000 to Royal’s $8,000.

Democrat Cindy Johnson, who is looking to replace term-limited State Sen. Wendy DeBoer in District 10, raised $82,000 in 2026 and enters the general election with $37,000 COH. Her Republican opponent, Rebecca Rens, raised $53,000 and has $36,000 COH. Rens was outspent this year $28,000 to Johnson’s $95,000.

In District 20, incumbent Democrat State Sen. John Fredrickson raised $95,000 in 2026 and ends the reporting period with $182,000 COH. Chris Anderson, his GOP challenger, raised $34,000 and has less than $2,000 COH. Fredrickson spent $145,000 this year while Anderson spent $45,000.

Democrats Lead PAC Wars

The largest outside spender in the primaries was Democratic-aligned independent expenditure group, Democracy Nebraska, which spent nearly $750,000 between legislative candidates, ballot initiatives, and local and state primary races this year. The group donated $265,000 directly to progressive legislative candidates.

In 2025 to 2026, its two first full years of operations, Democracy Nebraska has raised over $1.6 million in contributions. It is funded by the Nebraska Donor Alliance, a 501(c)4, whose donors are private. The most recent IRS filings, though, reveal that the organization is headed by former Democratic State Sen. Adam Morfeld and chaired by Katie Weitz, the daughter of Wally Weitz who owns an investment firm that manages over $6 billion in assets.

The Nebraska Donor Alliance’s filings shows they have an annual revenue stream of around $3 million, and the organization states their goal is to push “racial justice” and create a more “inclusive democracy.”

Another Democratic-aligned group, Preserve the Good Life, raised and spent over $250,000 this year with contributions from Democracy Nebraska and the Nebraska State Education Association. The group spent in support of Democratic candidates Ben Blodgett in LD 34, Johnson in LD 10, Tompkins in LD 36, Fredrickson in 20, Dungan in LD 26, and Goldoni in LD 18 and in opposition to Republican candidates Anderson in LD 20, Holdcroft in LD 36, and Royal in LD 18.

Republican-aligned groups have raised and spent less this year compared to Democratic groups with most of their spending focused on Omaha legislative races.

While the majority of money raised and spent from Democratic-aligned PACs this year came from undisclosed sources, most Republican-aligned PACs raised money from publicly-disclosed individual donors and businesses.

We Are Nebraska, a group with ties to Governor Jim Pillen, raised just under $400,000 and spent just over $200,000. The group’s filings show they spent most of the money in support of Republican candidates von Gillern and Rens while opposing progressive candidates Maxwell-Ostdiek and Johnson.

Nebraska United, a Republican-aligned group, raised just over $480,000 in 2026 and spent just over $85,000 in expenditures against Democrats Goldoni and Witt.

Build Nebraska, a group seeking to supplement GOP party infrastructure in Douglas County, raised and spent around $75,000. The group did not get involved in any primary races.

Notably, some GOP-aligned PACs spent money in Republican on Republican primaries.

Cornhusker Conservatives, a group with ties to the consulting firm Axiom Strategies, raised $45,000 and spent $40,000 in support of Republican legislative candidate Derek Schwartz and in opposition to Royal, who went on to advance in the District 18 race.

Building Nebraska’s Future, a PAC run by Flyover Strategies, raised $60,000 and spent nearly $55,000. Most of their spending went towards supporting Royal and Jay Jackson, who lost to Bowes in District 14, as well as opposition expenditures against Bowes and Schwartz.

The More You Know PAC raised and spent $10,000 in opposition to Jackson.

Altogether, nearly $600,000 was spent on independent expenditures this year from all groups and total spending from PACs was over $2,000,000 when including direct contributions and administrative expenses.

— John Gage is the Executive Editor of The Plains Sentinel.