Election Day, Nov 3 6 daysSenate D 85%House D 97%Governors D 86%Forecast updated Oct 28
2026 forecast · Nebraska 2nd

Denise Powell is all but certain to win Nebraska's 2nd District.

Denise Powell vs Brinker Harding, an open seat. The model has Powell ahead by 19.2 points, winning 100 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Safe DModel D +19.2Polls R +0.0Updated October 28, 2026
Denise Powell
Democrat
58.7%
147,994 projected votes
Brinker Harding
Republican
39.5%
99,558 projected votes
100%Powell
0%Harding
Powell all but certainEach square is one simulated election night, Powell wins about 100 of 100
RatingSafe D100% chance for Powell
Model marginD +19.2Polls R +0.0
80 percent rangeD +27.0 to D +11.62,000 simulations
Projected votes252,153Powell 58.7%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Nebraska districts

3 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Denise PowellDemocrat · 100% to win
58.7%
Brinker HardingRepublican · 0% to win
39.5%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

252,153 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Denise Powell D147,99458.7%
Brinker Harding R99,55839.5%
Eric Michael Foreman L4,6011.8%
Total252,153100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%100% Powell0% Harding16 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Nebraska governor polling average
28%30%32%34%36%38%40%42%44%46%48%50%MayJunJulAugSepOct41.6Walz46.1Pillen
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHollow dot: a lean firm's poll as published; the filled dot is where the average counts it, after its measured lean is taken offHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
Global Strategy Group for Walz (D)Oct 18 · 800 LV · A- · D lean, counted Pillen +3.0 in the average17%Pillen +1.1
Echelon Insights for NetChoiceOct 23 · 407 LV · B16%Pillen +7.0
National Public AffairsOct 18 · 598 LV · NR16%Pillen +6.0
YouGovOct 3 · 1,809 LV · C15%Pillen +1.0
co/efficient (R)Sep 30 · 1,113 LV · C+14%Pillen +5.0
National Public AffairsOct 5 · 800 LV · NR11%Pillen +4.0
Every other poll together: 11%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +0.0

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Powell +19.2
Chance of winning
Denise Powell100%
Brinker Harding0%
Simulated vote
Denise Powell58.7%
Brinker Harding39.5%
Eric Michael Foreman1.8%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanR +5.0
FundamentalsD +26.1
With pollsD +19.2

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +31R +31Partisan leanthe state's baselineR +5.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +26.1With pollsaverage R +0.0D +19.2
On Point on YouTubeThe Nebraska House race, explained on YouTubeForecast breakdowns, the polls and election night coverage on the On Point channel.Subscribe
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.