Former State Senator Brett Lindstrom announced Monday he is officially entering Nebraska’s 2026 governor’s race as a nonpartisan candidate. Lindstrom confirmed to the Nebraska Examiner that he’ll begin collecting signatures to qualify for the November third general election ballot.
Under Nebraska law, he must gather at least four thousand valid signatures, including at least seven hundred fifty from each of the state’s three congressional districts, by August third.
The forty-five-year-old Omaha financial adviser served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 through 2023. He challenged Jim Pillen for the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, but lost in the primary. Earlier this year, Lindstrom also ended a campaign for Nebraska’s Second Congressional District and changed his voter registration from Republican to nonpartisan.
In a statement announcing his decision, Lindstrom said Nebraska is at a “pivotal moment” in managing the state budget and creating opportunities for future generations. He says Nebraskans deserve another choice and that his immediate focus is earning a place on the ballot before laying out his vision for the state’s future.
Lindstrom has previously criticized Governor Pillen’s handling of property taxes, the state budget and economic development, saying Nebraska needs a clearer vision for growth. At the same time, he’s said his campaign isn’t intended to be a spoiler and that his disagreements with the governor are about policy rather than personal differences.
For more details from the Nebraska Examiner click here.