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Early filings hint at competitive 2026
McCOOK, Neb. - Campaign season is beginning to take shape, and the first wave of filings with the Secretary of State’s Office offers an early snapshot of who is stepping forward for offices of importance to Southwest and South-central Nebraska.
Entries and announcements tend to build gradually as final dates approach, often with a surge just before deadline. For many candidates, the timing of the filing is as much an element of campaign strategy as the color of the yard signs, but we often learn as much from those who do not file as from those who do.
Still, the early list gives local readers a useful ‘who’s in the mix’ baseline, along with some food for thought to anyone considering a run.
One who does not show up on the Secretary of State’s list of filings is Sen. Pete Ricketts, however, he announced his intent to run at a rally in Elkhorn last September.
The state filings do, however, reflect the candidacy of Earl Starkey of Minitare (Scotts Bluff County) who filed as a nonincumbent candidate for Ricketts’ Senate seat with the Legal Marijuana NOW party.
In Congress, Nebraska’s Third District has already produced a challenger. Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican, has filed as the incumbent for another term, listing Scottsbluff as his home base. Alongside him, Republican David P. Huebner has filed as a nonincumbent candidate for the same seat.
At the statewide level, Governor Pillen’s name is not yet on the Secretary of State’s list, nor is that of Democratic challenger Lynn Walz of Fremont, but both have formally announced. The governor’s race has two additional filings; Sheila J. Korth-Focken of Long Pine and Gary L. Rogge of Omaha have both filed as challengers for the Republican nomination.
For Secretary of State, Republican Bob Evnen has filed as the incumbent, while Democrat Lee M. Cimfel, of Kearney, has filed as a nonincumbent.
Two other statewide incumbents have also filed. Joey Spellerberg, the recently appointed Republican from Lincoln, is running as the incumbent State Treasurer, while Republican Mike Foley has filed as the incumbent Auditor of Public Accounts. Those offices are easy for voters to overlook when top-line races dominate attention, but both play a quiet, day-to-day role in shaping the state’s fiscal posture—through cash management, investment policy, audits and accountability.
Closer to home, Legislative District 38—our immediate backyard—includes readers in Red Willow, Furnas and Harlan Counties, the Holdrege portion of Phelps County, and then pushes east through Franklin and Webster to Nuckolls, and north into Clay. The seat is currently held by Sen. Dave Murman, who is termed out, meaning District 38 will have a new state senator regardless of which candidate prevails.
The Secretary of State filings show three nonincumbent candidates already on record: Melanie Knight of Clay Center, Tim Anderson of Sutton, and Wes Wilmot of Beaver City. Jon Capps of Blue Hill has announced and is actively campaigning, but does not yet show on the Secretary of State’s database.
With or without filed paperwork, the race for District 38 is shaping up to be one of the more competitive, open-seat races in the 2026 cycle.
Several nearby legislative districts also show incumbents filing to keep their seats. Barry DeKay has filed as the incumbent for District 40, friend of the Gazette Mike Jacobson of North Platte as the incumbent for District 42, Teresa Ibach as the incumbent for District 44, and Brian Hardin as the incumbent for District 48.
Those filings do not rule out challengers, but they do indicate that multiple sitting senators in the broader region have already completed the first formal step toward returning to Lincoln.
We also checked in with County Clerk Penny Cooper and learned that there have been no new entries since our last reporting.
So far, incumbent County Commissioner and Chairman Ted Gans has filed for the Republican nomination, as have Dalton Downing and Milton Varney, vying for the Republican nomination for Sheriff.
In McCook’s non-partisan races, Incumbent Gene Weedin has filed for McCook City Council, and Incumbent Mike Langan has filed for the District 17 School Board.
Jason Neseth has filed for a seat on the Southwest Schools board, as have Travis Herrman and Harry Marks for the Indianola Council and Travis Van Pelt for Indianola Mayor.
Tuesday, February 17 will be the last day that incumbents will file, and Monday, March 2, will be the last day for challengers to file for the May 12 primary election.