Omaha businessman Scott Petersen defeated incumbent Bob Evnen in Nebraska's Republican primary for secretary of state, winning 55% of the vote to Evnen's 45%. Petersen's campaign focused on questioning election security and ballot-counting methods, while Evnen defended Nebraska's existing systems as secure.
Petersen, who will face Democrat Sarah Slattery in November, criticized the state's voting machines and mail-in ballot practices. He called for full hand counts of ballots, a method experts say is less reliable than machine counting. Evnen, endorsed by Nebraska's Republican leadership, argued that the state's election system meets the "gold standard" of security.
The race highlighted divisions within the GOP over election integrity, with Petersen gaining traction by promoting concerns about voting equipment and mail-in ballots. Evnen countered by pointing to Nebraska's existing hand-count audit system, which reviews 10% of precincts after elections.
Petersen's victory marks a significant upset, as Evnen had the backing of Nebraska's governor and congressional delegation. The general election in November will determine whether Petersen's election security policies are implemented statewide.