New nonpartisan push in NE-01 as Austin Ahlman jumps into race

[Omaha Steve]

This will hurt the Democrat Chris Backemeyer. This race is not considered a toss up. So we don't have a DU ActBlue link. You can donate to Chris Backemeyer here: https://secure.actblue.com/my-express/engagement-hub/201136

Ahlman says some of Chris Backemeyer’s State Department work was a factor in his running and that he preferred another Democrat

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/15/new-nonpartisan-push-in-ne-01-as-austin-ahlman-jumps-into-race/

By: Juan Salinas II - May 15, 2026 5:35 am Updated 7:08 am

LINCOLN — A new nonpartisan is running in eastern Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, and his entry could complicate the path for Democratic nominee Chris Backemeyer to test Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood in a year when Democrats nationally expect to outperform the norm.

Austin Ahlman, a progressive journalist, announced his candidacy Thursday with a story in the Lincoln Journal Star and a campaign video on social media that garnered significant attention, particularly among the online left.

Ahlman covered part of Nebraska’s 2024 U.S. Senate race and an early part of the 2026 U.S. House race in the Omaha-based 2nd District for The American Prospect. State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, a nonpartisan progressive who typically sides with Democrats but left the party in 2023, tweeted about his bid.

“This is a campaign in Nebraska that I’m really excited about,” Hunt wrote on X.


Progressive reporter Austin Ahlman is running an nonpartisan bid in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District. (Courtesy of the Ahlman campaign)