Nebraska Farm Bureau Announces Additional Candidate Endorsements, Supports Amendment No. 1

Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB), the state’s largest general agriculture organization, has announced additional candidate endorsements for the Nebraska Legislature, public power boards, and a natural resources district board, along with support for Amendment No. 1.

Endorsements made by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (NEFB-PAC) reflect candidates’ positions on agriculture and rural issues and input from Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members. Legislative endorsements also consider recommendations from district evaluation committees.

“Our members look for leaders who listen, understand the challenges facing agriculture, and work to strengthen their communities,” said Katie Olson of Atkinson, chair of NEFB-PAC and first vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau. “These candidates recognize that decisions about taxes, electricity, and natural resources directly affect farm and ranch families and the communities where they live and work.”

NEFB-PAC endorsed the following incumbent legislators seeking reelection:

          Legislative District 40 — Barry DeKay

          Legislative District 44 — Teresa Ibach

NEFB-PAC also endorsed the following candidates for public power and natural resources district boards:

          Nebraska Public Power District, Subdivision 2 — Bill Tielke

          Northeast Public Power District, Subdivision 8 — Kevin Connot

          Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Subdistrict 2 — Mark Patton

In addition, NEFB-PAC supports Amendment No. 1, a constitutional amendment that would extend Nebraska legislators’ term limits from two to three consecutive terms.

“Amendment No. 1 would give voters the option to retain experienced legislators for an additional term while keeping term limits in place,” Olson said. “We believe this change would help preserve institutional knowledge and give lawmakers more time to understand complex issues affecting agriculture and Nebraska’s economy.”

As a reminder, below is the complete list of candidates endorsed by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (NEFB-PAC) for the 2026 general election:

Federal Offices

           U.S. Senate — Pete Ricketts

           Congressional District 1 — Mike Flood

           Congressional District 2 — Brinker Harding

           Congressional District 3 — Adrian Smith

Constitutional Offices

           Governor — Jim Pillen

           Secretary of State — Scott Petersen

           State Auditor — Mike Foley

           State Treasurer — Joey Spellerberg

           Attorney General — Mike Hilgers

Nebraska Legislature

           LD 2 — Dean Helmick

           LD 4 — R. Brad von Gillern

           LD 6 — Patrick Leahy

           LD 12 — Merv Riepe

           LD 14 — Bill Bowes

           LD 16 — Ted Japp

           LD 18 — Taylor Royal

           LD 22 — Dawson Brunswick

           LD 24 — Jana Hughes

           LD 30 — Cally Ideus

           LD 32 — Mark Schoenrock

           LD 34 — Loren Lippincott

           LD 36 — Rick Holdcroft

           LD 38 — Janell Anderson Ehrke

           LD 40 — Barry DeKay

           LD 41 — Joe Johnson

           LD 42 — Mike Jacobson

           LD 44 — Teresa Ibach

State Board of Education

          District 5 — Angie Eberspacher

          District 8 — Lou Ann Goding

University of Nebraska Board of Regents

          District 1 — Jeremy Hosein

Nebraska Public Power District

          Subdistrict 2 — Bill Tielke

Local Races

         Northeast Nebraska Public Power District — Kevin Connot

         Lower Platt South NRD — Mark Patton

Support Amendment 1

         A constitutional amendment to increase term limits from two to three consecutive terms for state legislators.