Omaha businessman Scott Petersen has won the Nebraska secretary of state race, securing 54% of the vote. His opponent, Democrat Sarah Slattery, received 40% of the vote.
Petersen, a Republican, will succeed Republican Bob Evnen, who was seeking his third four-year term as the state’s top elections official. Petersen beat Evnen in the May GOP primary election.
Other opponents in the general election included former state senator Bob Krist and Douglas County special project manager Paul Rumbaugh, each receiving about 3% of the votes.
Petersen has argued that voting by mail should be restricted and has promised to conduct full hand counts of races. He has also questioned whether state ballot-counting machines can access the internet and be hacked, a threat that county election officials say is not possible.
The new secretary of state will be paid $85,000. The office is one of four constitutional officer posts that were up for election, along with the governor and lieutenant governor.
In another notable race, incumbent Mike Hilgers won reelection as Nebraska attorney general, receiving 56% of the vote. His opponent, Democrat Jocelyn Brasher, received 44%. The job of primary lawyer for the state pays $95,000.
Meanwhile, Mike Foley won his fourth nonconsecutive term as state auditor, receiving 74% of the vote as of midnight. Joey Spellerberg also won the race for state treasurer, receiving 59% of the vote. Foley had been running unopposed until Sept. 1, when Knight, an engineer and senior program manager, joined the race. Spellerberg had been mayor of Fremont for five years when Gov. Jim Pillen appointed him as treasurer in November 2025.
The annual salaries for these positions are $85,000 for the secretary of state, state auditor, and state treasurer, and $95,000 for the attorney general.
