Nebraska's 3rd congressional district

Nebraska's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Nebraska that encompasses its western three-fourths; it is one of the largest non-at-large districts in the country, covering nearly 65,000 square miles (170,000 km²), two time zones and 80 counties. It includes Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings, North Platte, Alliance, and Scottsbluff. Additionally, it encompasses the Sandhills region and a large majority of the Platte River. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+29, it is by far the most Republican district in Nebraska, a state with an all-Republican delegation.^[2]

Nebraska's 3rd congressional district
Nebraska's 3rd congressional district (from 2023)
Representative	Adrian Smith R–Gering
Distribution	53.79% rural 46.21% urban
Population (2022)	649,904
Median household income	$61,627[1]
Ethnicity	81.4% White 12.2% Hispanic 2.7% Two or more races 1.4% Native American 1.3% Black 0.7% Asian 0.3% other
Cook PVI	R+29[2]

Political history

Nebraska has had at least three congressional districts since 1883. The district's current configuration dates from 1963, when Nebraska lost a seat as a result of the 1960 United States census. At that time, most of the old 3rd and 4th districts were merged to form the new 3rd district. It is one of the most Republican districts in the nation, as Democrats have only come close to winning it three times as currently drawn, in 1974, 1990, and 2006, all years where the incumbent was not running for reelection.

Republican presidential and gubernatorial candidates routinely carry the district with margins of 40 percent or more, while Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win a plurality within the current district boundaries. Excepting historically Democratic Saline County on the district's eastern boundary, Thurston County which only moved into the district in 2023, and Dakota County which has only been within the district since 2013, the last Democrat to carry any county within the district at a presidential level was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Although the Nebraska Legislature is elected on a nonpartisan basis, all but two members representing significant portions of the district are known to be Republicans. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI) of R+29, it is the most Republican congressional district outside Appalachia. Because Nebraska awards an Electoral College vote from each district, it is the most Republican Electoral College constituency. It is currently held by Republican Adrian Smith, who was first elected in 2006.

Recent results in statewide races

Year	Office	Results
1992	President	George H.W. Bush 50% – Bill Clinton 24%
1996	President	Bob Dole 59% – Bill Clinton 29%
2000	President	George W. Bush 71% – Al Gore 25%
2004	President	George W. Bush 75% – John Kerry 24%
2008	President	John McCain 69% – Barack Obama 30%
2012	President	Mitt Romney 70% – Barack Obama 28%
2016	President	Donald Trump 74% – Hillary Clinton 20%
2020	President	Donald Trump 75% – Joe Biden 22%
2022	Governor	Jim Pillen 75% – Carol Blood 21%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District established March 4, 1883
Edward K. Valentine (West Point)	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Redistricted from at-large district and re-elected in 1882. Retired.
George W. E. Dorsey (Fremont)	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891	49th 50th 51st	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Lost re-election.
Omer Madison Kem (Broken Bow)	Populist	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 6th district.
George de Rue Meiklejohn (Fullerton)	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897	53rd 54th	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Retired.
Samuel Maxwell (Fremont)	Populist	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. Retired.
John Seaton Robinson (Madison)	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903	56th 57th	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Lost re-election.
John J. McCarthy (Ponca)	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1907	58th 59th	Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Lost renomination.
John Frank Boyd (Neligh)	Republican	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1909	60th	Elected in 1906. Lost re-election.
James P. Latta (Tekamah)	Democratic	March 4, 1909 – September 11, 1911	61st 62nd	Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Died.
Vacant		September 11, 1911 – November 7, 1911	62nd
Dan V. Stephens (Fremont)	Democratic	November 7, 1911 – March 3, 1919	62nd 63rd 64th 65th	Elected to finish Latta's term. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election.
Robert E. Evans (Dakota City)	Republican	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1923	66th 67th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Lost re-election.
Edgar Howard (Columbus)	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935	68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd	Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Lost re-election.
Karl Stefan (Norfolk)	Republican	January 3, 1935 – October 2, 1951	74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Died.
Vacant		October 2, 1951 – December 4, 1951	82nd
Robert Dinsmore Harrison (Norfolk)	Republican	December 4, 1951 – January 3, 1959	82nd 83rd 84th 85th	Elected to finish Stefan's term. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Lost re-election.
Lawrence Brock (Wakefield)	Democratic	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961	86th	Elected in 1958. Lost re-election.
Ralph F. Beermann (Dakota City)	Republican	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963	87th	Elected in 1960. Redistricted to the 1st district.
David Martin (Kearney)	Republican	January 3, 1963 – December 31, 1974	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Retired and then resigned early.
Vacant		December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975	93rd
Virginia Smith (Chappell)	Republican	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1991	94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st	Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Retired.
Bill Barrett (Lexington)	Republican	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2001	102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th	Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Retired.
Tom Osborne (Lemoyne)	Republican	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007	107th 108th 109th	Elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Retired to run for Governor of Nebraska.
Adrian Smith (Gering)	Republican	January 3, 2007 – present	110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.

Election history

2004

Main article: 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Osborne (Incumbent)	218,751	87.5%
	Democratic	Donna J. Anderson	26,434	10.5%
	Nebraska	Joseph A. Rosberg	3,396	1.4%
	Green	Roy Guisinger	1,555	.6%
Total votes			250,136	100.0%
	Republican hold

2006

General election, 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith	113,687	54.99%
	Democratic	Scott Kleeb	93,046	45.01%
Total votes			206,733	100.0%
	Republican hold

2008

Main article: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	183,117	76.87%
	Democratic	Jay C. Stoddard	55,087	23.13%
Total votes			238,204	100.0%
	Republican hold

2010

Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	117,275	70.12%
	Democratic	Rebekah Davis	29,932	17.9%
	Independent	Dan Hill	20,036	11.98%
Total votes			167,243	100.0%
	Republican hold

2012

Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	187,423	74.2%
	Democratic	Mark Sullivan	65,266	25.8%
Total votes			252,689	100.0%
	Republican hold

2014

Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	139,440	75.4%
	Democratic	Mark Sullivan	45,524	24.6%
Total votes			184,964	100.0%
	Republican hold

2016

Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	226,720	100%
Total votes			226,720	100.0%
	Republican hold

2018

Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	163,650	76.7%
	Democratic	Paul Theobald	49,654	23.3%
Total votes			213,304	100.0%
	Republican hold

2020

Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2020

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (Incumbent)	225,157	78.5%
	Democratic	Mark Elworth Jr.	50,690	17.7%
	Libertarian	Dustin C. Hobbs	10,923	3.8%
Total votes			336,962	100.0%
	Republican hold

2022

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska

General election, 2022^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Adrian Smith (incumbent)	172,700	78.30%
	Democratic	David Else	34,836	15.79%
	Legal Marijuana Now	Mark Elworth Jr.	13,016	5.90%
Total votes			220,552	100%
	Republican hold

Historical district boundaries

2013–2023

2003–2013

See also

• United States portal

• Nebraska's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. "My Congressional District".
2. "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
3. Evnen, Robert B. (November 8, 2022). 2022 General Canvass Book (PDF). Nebraska Secretary of State. p. 11. Retrieved December 14, 2022.

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

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