1996 United States Senate election in Nebraska
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County results Hagel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Nelson: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Nebraska |
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| Government |
The 1996 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. James Exon decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican nominee Chuck Hagel won the open seat by 14 points, defeating incumbent Democratic governor Ben Nelson. Nelson later held Nebraska’s other Senate seat from 2001 to 2013, serving alongside Hagel until he retired from the Senate in 2009.
As of 2025, this is the last time an incumbent governor failed to hold a Senate seat for his party. This was also the first time since Carl Curtis was elected to his final term in 1972 that a Republican was elected to either of Nebraska's Senate seats.