# Backemeyer wins Democratic primary; Smith easily advances in 3rd District  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T06:55:36.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/backemeyer-to-face-flood-in-ne-01-smith-advances-in-ne-03/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/backemeyer-wins-democratic-primary-smith-easily-advances-in-3rd-district

Democrats in eastern Nebraska's 1st Congressional District chose [former State Department diplomat Chris Backemeyer](https://backnebraska.com/) as their nominee to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. [Mike Flood](https://flood.house.gov/) in the November general election, while [U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith](https://adriansmith.house.gov/) easily won his Republican primary in the conservative 3rd District on Tuesday.

Backemeyer, who served 20 years in the State Department and [recently moved back to Lincoln](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/), defeated renewable energy advocate Eric Moyer with 57 percent of the vote. Flood, [a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature who has represented the district since 2022](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Flood_(politician)), ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

In a statement, Backemeyer described his first campaign for office as a challenge, saying he discovered "neighbors who care deeply about their community and the people in it." His diplomatic background included work as a national security advisor to former Vice President Kamala Harris and roles negotiating international policy in the Middle East, particularly Iran.

Flood, touting legislative accomplishments, said he has been "passing bipartisan legislation to lower housing costs, supporting the largest tax cut in American history and delivering more than $100 million in federal funding."

In the 3rd District, Smith defeated former Border Patrol agent David P. Huebner with 65 percent of the vote early Wednesday, though many rural counties had yet to report final results. The district, which covers most of central and western Nebraska, is [considered the nation's sixth most Republican](https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska). Democrat Becky Kelly Stille of South Sioux City ran unopposed on her party's ticket.

[Smith said he has been "running on my record of listening to Nebraskans," noting they "know my conservative record of really addressing waste."](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/backemeyer-to-face-flood-in-ne-01-smith-advances-in-ne-03/) Smith, who has represented the district since 2007, is considered a heavy favorite to win another term, though local election analysts acknowledged that unexpected developments can occur in certain election cycles.

Two additional candidates, Mark Cohen of Lemoyne and Macey Budke of North Platte, are circulating petitions as potential nonpartisan candidates in the 3rd District, with an Aug. 3 deadline to appear on the November ballot.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/backemeyer-to-face-flood-in-ne-01-smith-advances-in-ne-03/)
- [Chris Backemeyer campaign website](https://backnebraska.com/)
- [Mike Flood congressional website](https://flood.house.gov/)
- [Adrian Smith congressional website](https://adriansmith.house.gov/)
- [Ballotpedia - Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026](https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska's_3rd_Congressional_District_election,_2026)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/backemeyer-to-face-flood-in-ne-01-smith-advances-in-ne-03/.