Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Nebraska's 3rd District

5 candidates on the ballot.¹

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Adrian Smith

Republican · Incumbent

Currently represents Nebraska's 3rd District in the U.S. House.

Becky Kelly Stille

Democratic · Challenger

David J. Else

Legal Marijuana NOW · Challenger

Macey Budke

Nebraska Working People · Challenger

Mark Cohen

By Petition · Challenger

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Fact	Adrian Smith	Becky Kelly Stille	David J. Else	Macey Budke	Mark Cohen
Party on the ballot	Republican¹	Democratic¹	Legal Marijuana NOW¹	Nebraska Working People¹	By Petition¹
Status	Incumbent²	Challenger	Challenger	Challenger	Challenger
Raised	$2,246,593 through October 14, 2026³	$97,390 through October 14, 2026⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	$6,347 through October 14, 2026⁵	$75,901 through October 14, 2026⁶
Cash on hand	$1,101,567³	-$50⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	$326⁵	$15,674⁶
Outside spending	$282,975 for · $0 against⁷	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked
Abortion law	His campaign website says he believes life begins at conception and continues until natural death, that he is a member of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and that he supports legislation protecting the unborn and promotes adoption as an alternative to abortion.^8,9	Her campaign website lists restoring women's reproductive freedoms among her priorities and says she supports a woman's right to decide privately with her doctor about her own health care.^10,11,12	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health His campaign website says he sees a constitutional right to privacy and considers the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade correct, and that he does not answer questions framed as pro-life or pro-choice.¹³
Government funding and abortion	Bar public funds for abortions and for groups that provide them, including for their other services His campaign website says he opposes taxpayer funding of abortions and lists a vote to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood among his record.^8,9	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists, among his commitments for veterans, restoring the VA's authority to offer abortion counseling and abortion care.¹³
Ethanol and biofuel requirements	Expand biofuel use, such as by allowing E15 sales all year His campaign website says he chairs the Congressional Biofuels Caucus and champions year-round E15 sales.⁹	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Expand biofuel use, such as by allowing E15 sales all year Her campaign website says she supports responsible domestic energy production alongside investment in innovation that, among other things, expands biofuel markets.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Farm payments and crop insurance	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he will push for continued strong agriculture that does not rely on government subsidies, adding that it is better to sell crops than to store them.¹⁵	Her agriculture plan says she would push for the next Farm Bill to align crop insurance, disaster policy, livestock risk tools and producer cash flow around long-term stability, with more durable support for smaller and midsize operations.¹⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked
Police funding	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says law enforcement officers should be given the support, training and resources they need to keep communities safe.¹²	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Increase police funding, for example to hire more officers His campaign website says rural sheriff and police departments need federal money to hire and train more officers, and that cuts to federal grants have hurt rural departments.¹³
Trade agreements	His campaign website calls expanded fair trade vital for Nebraska's farmers, ranchers and manufacturers, and says that as chair of the Trade Subcommittee he works to open more markets to Nebraska farmers and ranchers.^8,9	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says her agricultural policies would aim for fair, competitive markets and a wider range of responsible trade opportunities for producers.¹⁴	His campaign website says he supports broader trade deals that open overseas markets to Nebraska corn, soybeans, beef and pork, and that he will review each agreement for its effect on Nebraska agriculture.¹³
Union organizing rules	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says labor unions ensure that workers receive fair pay, safe and humane working conditions and a voice in business decisions, and that the economy does well when labor and business work together.¹²	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says workers should be free to organize and bargain collectively if they choose, and that unions have played an important role in apprenticeships, workplace safety and training.¹⁴	His campaign website says he wants to strengthen unions and protect collective bargaining rights.¹³
Campaign finance rules	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her leadership accountability plan says she would support an Ethics, Lobbying, and Donor Transparency Act and a Public Disclosure Clarity Standard that make donor, spending and lobbying information easier to read.¹⁶	Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United His campaign website lists campaign finance reform and overturning Citizens United among his goals, and says unlimited donations to candidates and the use of PACs to get around contribution limits also threaten democracy.^13,17
Federal agencies' power to write rules	His campaign website says he has sponsored and voted for legislation to limit costly and burdensome federal regulations and to hold the federal government accountable.¹⁸	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she wants more precise laws from Congress, tougher congressional oversight and limits on how far executive power can expand, and says agencies sometimes go beyond the authority Congress has defined.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Food assistance (SNAP)	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she wants to protect SNAP benefits for people who depend on them.¹¹	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists opposing cuts to SNAP, housing assistance and other programs that veterans depend on among his commitments for veterans.¹³
AR-15-style rifles	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she does not support broad federal bans based on cosmetic or ergonomic features of firearms when such bans do little to address the causes of violence or improve enforcement.¹⁴	His campaign website says he opposes periodic mental health checks for owners of AR-15-style rifles, and that he supports responsible gun rights.¹³
Health insurance system	His campaign website says he has sponsored bills and cast votes to cut off funding for and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which the site calls Obamacare.¹⁸	Her campaign website says she wants to expand access to health care by funding rural hospitals, lowering prescription drug costs and funding the Affordable Care Act, and that she will advocate for improved health care for all Americans.^11,12	His campaign website says he will fight for free health care for all.¹⁵	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists supporting the Affordable Care Act and strict regulation of insurance companies among his health care commitments.¹³
Social Security benefit levels	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she wants to protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors who depend on them.^11,12	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he would vote against any bill that reduces Social Security or Medicare benefits.¹³
Federal spending levels	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she supports disciplined budgeting, stronger program audits and more transparency about how federal funds are used, and that she does not equate fiscal responsibility with cutting services without careful thought.¹⁴	His campaign website says both parties are responsible for the national debt, that waste, fraud and abuse do not come close to explaining the deficit, and that balancing the budget through spending cuts alone would require severe cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It lists opposing tax cuts that add to the deficit unless offset by spending reductions or other revenue.¹³
High-speed internet access	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website lists rural broadband expansion among the infrastructure investments she supports, and her plans describe treating broadband as health care and education infrastructure.^14,16	His campaign website lists fighting to make sure federal BEAD broadband funds reach the most underserved rural areas, and supporting enforceable buildout requirements, among his broadband commitments.¹³
Private care for veterans	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says she supports closer cooperation between the VA and trusted local providers, and wants veterans to be able to get community-based care promptly when it is appropriate.¹⁴	His campaign website lists strengthening the VA Community Care Program, so that rural veterans can get quality care near home, among his commitments for veterans.¹³

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Adrian Smith — 3 issues

Border wall and barriers
His campaign website lists among his accomplishments votes to finish the border wall and to give the Border Patrol more funding and resources.^8,9
Income tax on Social Security benefits
His campaign website lists among his accomplishments helping write the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill, which it says reduces taxes on Social Security benefits.⁹
Business tax breaks
His campaign website says the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill, which he helped write, expands small business expensing.⁹

Becky Kelly Stille — 3 issues

Animal welfare laws
Add federal protections, such as bans on horse slaughter and on testing cosmetics on animals
Her campaign website says she supports legislation that protects animals and that strong animal protection laws can prevent harm such as poaching and illegal trafficking.¹²
Books in school libraries
Her campaign website says she opposes banning books in schools and rewriting history to please certain people.¹¹
Endangered species protections
Her campaign website says animal protection laws can help protect endangered species from extinction.¹²

David J. Else — 3 issues

Federal minimum wage
His campaign website says he will work toward an economy that encourages every American who can work to do so, and calls for raising the minimum wage.¹⁵
Foreign aid
His campaign website says he will fight against what it calls endless spending on war and on foreign countries.¹⁵
Military spending
His campaign website says he will fight against what it calls endless spending on war and on foreign countries.¹⁵

Macey Budke — 5 issues

Discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
Her campaign website says she supports equal treatment under the law and basic non-discrimination standards, including for members of the LGBTQ+ community.¹⁴
Union fees and right-to-work laws
Leave it to each state
Her campaign website says she respects Nebraska's right-to-work tradition and believes Nebraska voters should shape state labor policy.¹⁴
Background checks for gun sales
Her campaign website says she supports responsible gun ownership together with stronger enforcement of background check rules.¹⁴
Carry permits across state lines
Require every state to accept other states' permits
Her campaign website says she supports concealed carry reciprocity so that people carrying lawfully do not risk breaking the law when they travel into another state.¹⁴
Highway and transit funding
Her campaign website says she supports a strong federal-state partnership that gives rural communities their fair share of infrastructure investment, with highway and bridge maintenance among the priorities.¹⁴

Mark Cohen — 34 issues

Birth control and IVF
His campaign website says unwanted pregnancies can be reduced by educating young people and making birth control available to those who choose to be sexually active.¹³
Foreign ownership of farmland
His campaign website lists supporting federal restrictions on purchases of American farmland and critical infrastructure by foreign adversaries.¹³
Visas for farmworkers
His campaign website says he will push for an agricultural visa system that works for Nebraska's economy, and says tighter visa programs have left farms and other industries short of workers.¹³
Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices
Pass a law setting a binding ethics code, with outside review of complaints and recusal decisions
His campaign website says Congress should pass a code of conduct for the Supreme Court that is binding and enforceable, with clear rules on financial disclosures and gifts, and should end the practice of letting each justice decide whether to recuse.¹³
Marijuana laws
Make it legal for adults to buy and use
His campaign website says he supports legalizing and regulating marijuana for adults, and that he has seen no evidence it is more dangerous than alcohol.¹³
Banking and investment rules
His campaign website lists supporting lighter banking regulation for community banks and credit unions with more oversight of the largest banks, and reinstating and strengthening safeguards for systemically important financial institutions.¹³
Collective bargaining for public employees
His campaign website says proposals to reduce or end public employees' right to negotiate would be bad for workers, public safety and citizens who want responsive services.¹³
Federal Reserve independence
Keep rate decisions independent but add audits or more oversight by Congress
His campaign website says he supports an independent central bank and an independent audit of the Federal Reserve, saying independence is not immunity from oversight.¹³
Tariffs
His campaign website says he opposes unilateral tariffs that harm Nebraska's farm export markets without achieving concrete, measurable results, and wants to work with allies, rather than through unilateral tariffs, to address China's trade practices.¹³
Religion in public schools
His campaign website says he would oppose efforts to set up a religion preferred by the government, including proposals to bring specific religious teachings into public schools.¹³
Student loan forgiveness
Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment
His campaign website says Congress should forgive federal student loans for teachers who agree to work five years in rural districts, and says he believes student loan debt should be dischargeable in bankruptcy like consumer or medical debt.¹³
Transgender students in school sports
Let each state decide
His campaign website says state and local governments should have the authority to set rules on transgender athletes in women's sports, and that he would support that authority in Congress.¹³
US Department of Education
Keep the department and its programs, or expand it
His campaign website says rural schools rely on federal funds from the Department of Education and that eliminating it would likely force school consolidations.¹³
Vouchers and education savings accounts
No public money for private school or homeschooling costs
His campaign website says he will fight to keep public funds from going to private schools, and that charter schools and vouchers draw money away from rural public schools.¹³
Proof of citizenship to register to vote
Keep relying on applicants' sworn statement, under penalty of perjury, that they are citizens
His campaign website says the SAVE Act addresses a problem that barely exists, noting that every state already has voters attest to their citizenship and that voting fraud is extremely rare, argues it would keep some eligible citizens, including women who changed their names after marriage, from voting, and says he opposes it.¹³
Stock trading by members of Congress
His campaign website lists banning stock trading by House members among ways to make the House work better.¹³
Term limits for Congress
His campaign website lists term limits among ways to make the House work better.¹³
Data centers and electricity costs
His campaign website says he does not oppose data centers but opposes giving away what he calls Nebraska's most precious resource to attract them, discusses the water data centers use, says Congress can play a role through bills such as the GRID Act and the Shield Act, and says he will fight for full public disclosure of deals before they are signed.¹³
Child care costs
His campaign website says rural child care facilities deserve public investment just as roads and bridges do.¹³
Paid family and medical leave
His campaign website criticizes the lack of a guarantee of paid family leave in the United States, and says parents of newborns and people caring for an ailing parent should not have to choose between that care and their jobs or finances.¹³
Same-sex marriage
Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
His campaign website says gay couples should be able to enter the same legal relationships as everyone else.¹³
Aid to Ukraine
His campaign website says the United States should do everything it can to help Ukraine and protect its allies, and criticizes what it calls appeasement of Russia.¹³
US role in NATO
His campaign website lists working to repair the damage it says the current administration has done to NATO among his defense commitments.¹³
Who decides on military action
Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
His campaign website says Congress, not the president, holds the power to declare war, and that he would have demanded a congressional vote before the first strike on Iran, along with a legal justification, a defined objective and an exit strategy.¹³
Federal Medicaid funding
Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
His campaign website lists working to restore Medicaid funding and opposing Medicaid cuts that would reduce mental health coverage among his commitments.¹³
Immigration enforcement inside the country
His campaign website lists pushing to cut ICE funding to Biden-era levels and opposing detention without due process of people suspected of being in the country illegally among his immigration commitments, and says immigration reform should recognize that immigrants are critical to Nebraska's agriculture and other industries.¹³
Masks and identification for immigration officers
His campaign website lists making it illegal for officers to conceal their faces or badge numbers, apart from a few limited situations or when a court allows it, among his commitments.¹³
Medicare drug price negotiation
Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance
His campaign website says he supports significantly expanding Medicare's authority to negotiate prescription drug prices.¹³
Social Security payroll tax cap
His campaign website says he supports lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap, by raising or eliminating it, so that high earners pay the same percentage on all their income as other workers, in order to fund Social Security without benefit cuts.¹³
Corporate tax rate
Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
His campaign website says he supports higher corporate taxes, as in the Eisenhower years, and closing loopholes that let corporations shift profits offshore to avoid U.S. taxes.¹³
Federal income tax rates
Raise rates on high incomes only (for example, above $400,000)
His campaign website says the country should return to a tax structure more like that of the Eisenhower years, with higher rates on the highest incomes.¹³
Data privacy
His campaign website says he will support comprehensive federal data privacy legislation giving Americans the right to know what data is collected about them and who buys and sells it, and to correct it, opt out of collection and have it deleted.¹³
Rules for artificial intelligence
Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures
His campaign website lists pushing for federal standards that govern how AI surveillance tools, facial recognition and predictive policing are used.¹³
VA staffing
His campaign website lists fully funding the VA and supporting the PACT Act with adequate VA funding and staffing among his commitments for veterans.¹³

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

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