Mike Flood Wins Nebraska GOP US House Primary

A sign directs voters to the polling place at the village office that also houses the library in the tiny village of Greenwood, Nebraska, for the primary election on May 10, 2022. (Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times)

OMAHA, Nebraska—Republican State Sen. Mike Flood prevailed in the Nebraska 1^st Congressional District GOP primary on Tuesday. Now, the attorney and broadcast network owner will turn his attention to a June 28 special election before the November 8 general election.

With 25 percent of the precincts reporting at 9:43 p.m., Flood drew 76.48 percent of the vote followed by Jeff Fortenberry, John Weaver, Thireena Connely, and Curtis Huffman, according to Decision Desk HQ.

In April, Flood was appointed by the Nebraska Republican Party to represent the GOP in a 1^st Congressional District special election on June 28 to replace Republican Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned from his seat after he was found guilty of three felony charges in March.

The special election will fill the remainder of Fortenberry’s term. State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk was chosen by the Nebraska Republican Party to run in the June 28 special election to fill the remainder of Fortenberry’s term, which runs through January 2023.

Flood gained the backing of current Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Effective March 31, Fortenberry stepped down from his Congressional seat after he was found guilty on one count of scheming to falsify or conceal material facts and two counts of making a false statement to a government agency.

Sentencing is set for June 28, the day of the special election. Fortenberry faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. He could also receive no jail time. Fortenberry is on release until then.

Fortenberry was indicted in October when authorities reported that he lied to FBI agents over two interviews regarding his knowledge of a foreign billionaire’s illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign.

Fortenberry’s name appeared on the primary ballot because he withdrew after a deadline to certify the ballot. If he won on Tuesday, his name would have appeared on the November ballot unless he withdrew his name by August 1. He also had the option of declining the nomination.

Flood first took office in the state legislature in 2005. He was term-limited in 2013 but returned to the legislature in 2021.

“Like I have in the legislature, I’ll work every day for Nebraska families to protect their freedoms, grow our economy, cut taxes, and get government out of the way,” Flood said earlier this year. “I’ll fight to make sure Congress reflects our Nebraska values – not those of radical liberals in New York and California.”

If Flood loses the June 28 special election, he will still be on the November 8 general election ballot.

State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, who is the Nebraska Democratic Party’s nominee for the special election, won the Democratic primary over Jazari Kual Zakaria.

The 1^st Congressional District is located in eastern Nebraska, surrounds the outskirts of Omaha, and includes population centers like Columbus, Norfolk and Lincoln, which is the state capital.

District lines have changed over the years, but Republicans have occupied the seat since 1967.