Petersen Pulls Off Upset in Secretary of State Primary
by John Gage
(Photo credit Matt Johnson)
OMAHA – The Nebraska Secretary of State race was one of the surprises Tuesday night for many election observers, with Scott Petersen pulling off an upset win over incumbent Bob Evnen. At 9:55 pm, Decision Desk HQ called the race in favor of Petersen, who is leading Evnen 54-46%.
Petersen started the night off slightly behind Evnen but overtook him within the first hour of votes being counted and has since slowly expanded his lead.
Neither candidate has released an official statement. The Plains Sentinel has reached out to both for comment. The win by Petersen is one of the biggest upsets by a challenger in a Nebraska election in recent memory.
Earlier in the evening, Petersen told The Plains Sentinel he was “surprised” to be up leading so early in the night, and noted he thought it meant he would likely win the primary race.
The race has become a litmus test for how Republican voters in Nebraska feel about election security, with Petersen arguing Evnen has not done enough to secure Nebraska’s elections.
Petersen’s early strong performance comes despite getting outspent significantly by Evnen in the race.
Stay tuned for more updates.
John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.