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Former state Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha will not appear on the ballot for Nebraska governor this November after a “significant” number of petition signatures were flagged for fraud.
The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees state elections, confirmed Friday that Lindstrom, 45, did not obtain at least 4,000 valid signatures as required to appear on the ballot as a registered nonpartisan candidate. At least 750 signatures were needed from each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
The office said 3,358 of Lindstrom’s signatures were valid. County election officials were charged with reviewing all 5,765 signatures that Lindstrom turned in by his Aug. 3 deadline.
About 70% of Lindstrom’s signatures needed to be valid for him to qualify. He had a validation rate of 58.2%.
‘I am deeply disappointed’
Secretary of State Bob Evnen’s office said a “significant” number of signatures were found to be fraudulent. A number of the petitions were circulated by three of the five individuals arrested last week for gathering signatures suspected to be fraudulent on petitions seeking to change Lincoln elections. Those individuals face two felony charges each in Lancaster County.
“Information has been passed along to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office for further investigation,” Evnen’s office said.
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office declined to comment.
Lindstrom’s campaign on Friday said circulators contracted through a professional signature firm “cost the campaign its place” on the ballot and “did not perform their work in good faith.” The campaign said the actions of those circulators directly led to the invalidation of 1,543 signatures.
Lindstrom said in a statement that he was not aware of the activity and that the thousands of Nebraskans who participated “honestly” in the petition campaign were victims of fraud.
“We are pursuing every legal avenue available to us and intend to hold those responsible accountable,” Lindstrom said.
“I am deeply disappointed — not just for myself and our campaign, but for every Nebraskan who signed a petition in good faith, every volunteer who gave their time and every person who believed they were participating in a fair and lawful process,” Lindstrom continued. “They did their part. We did our part. The unlawful actions of a few should not be allowed to erase the voices of thousands.”
County officials verify local signers, checking that at least two of three match records on file across names, addresses and dates of birth. Reviewers then confirm signatures on file.
Ballot for governor finalized
Friday’s news means the 2026 ballot for Nebraska governor is set: Republican Gov. Jim Pillen for reelection, former Democratic state Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont and Legal Marijuana NOW nominee Rick Beard of Omaha.
The Republican and Democratic campaigns for Nebraska governor had already sought to portray Lindstrom as either more conservative or more liberal than his nonpartisan label would suggest. Lindstrom had repeatedly said he didn’t want to play “spoiler” in the race, and it wasn’t clear whether his bid, if qualified, would have taken more votes from Walz or Pillen.
In contrast, Beard, the existing third-party candidate, had welcomed Lindstrom to the race.
Walz, in a statement, said Nebraskans deserve transparency and accountability about the circulators, signature-gathering firm and anyone else who was involved in or aware of the actions that led thousands of signatures to be flagged as fraudulent over the past couple of weeks.
“We appreciate the election officials who caught the fraud, and it shows the system works,” Walz said.
Beard, in a text, said he was looking forward to debating Lindstrom and Walz and hopes Walz will still debate. Pillen has declined to join them.
“I am sad to see a candidate’s voice leave the race,” Beard said.
Pillen’s campaign manager, Taylor Sliva, did not reference Lindstrom or the signatures suspected to be fraudulent in a statement. Instead, Sliva said Nebraskans stand behind the governor and “this campaign is going to sprint across the goal line.”
Lindstrom, a lifelong Republican, left the Republican Party just a couple of months after he dropped out of the GOP primary for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District based in Omaha.
Even though Lindstrom will not appear on the November ballot, if he raised or spent more than $5,000 toward his bid for governor, he’ll still need to disclose his campaign finance.
The first general election report for candidates — covering June 17 through Sept. 29 — is due Oct. 5.
Between Jan. 1, 2025, and June 16 of this year:
- Pillen raised $8.6 million and spent $2.7 million. He had $9.5 million on hand by the end.
- Walz raised $1.5 million and spent $809,000. She had about $675,000 by the end.
- Beard has not exceeded the $5,000 threshold requiring him to report campaign finances.
State law required Lindstrom to name a running mate before petitioning. He chose Mike Picard of Omaha, a Navy veteran and club director and head coach of ENVY Volleyball Club.
Pillen is running again with longtime prosecutor Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, who led the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office before President Donald Trump appointed him a U.S. attorney. Walz selected Humboldt farmer and agribusinessman Ben Steffen, an ex-Republican. Beard has not announced his pick yet. His deadline is Sept. 1.
Pillen won the GOP nomination over Lindstrom for governor in 2022. In seeking a spot on this year’s ballot, Lindstrom said he wanted a change and released what he termed “The Nebraska Doctrine” with his ideas for the governor’s office. Lindstrom said he thought Walz didn’t have the “math” to win.
Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2-to-1 and have held the governor’s seat since 1999.
The last non-Republican Nebraska governor was Ben Nelson, a Democrat who served between 1991 and 1999 and then served two terms in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2013. He was the last Democrat elected statewide, too, in his 2006 reelection bid.
Lindstrom considering next steps
Lindstrom said his efforts to “right the ship” for Nebraska and refocus on economic growth and fiscal discipline will not be erased by fraud. He intends to regroup.
“I am open to any and all avenues that allow me to continue doing what I believe is right for Nebraska,” Lindstrom said. “I did not begin this effort simply to run for an office. I began it because I believe our state needs a different direction and because this moment is too important to sit on the sidelines.
“The ballot may have changed. The mission has not.”
The general election is Nov. 3.
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