Biggest governor landslides in Nebraska
The biggest landslide in a Nebraska governor’s race was in 1944, a margin of 52.2 points. Dwight Griswold beat George W. Olsen, 410,136 to 128,760. Next widest are 1942 (49.6 points) and 2006 (48.9 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Nebraska has held, special elections included, see the Nebraska governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Nebraska governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Nebraska gubernatorial general election came in 1944, 52.2 points. Dwight Griswold beat George W. Olsen, 410,136 to 128,760. Next are 1942 (49.6 points) and 2006 (48.9 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Nebraska governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1944 | Dwight Griswold R def. George W. Olsen D | 410,136 – 128,760 | +52.2 points |
| 2 | 1942 | Dwight Griswold R def. Charles W. Bryan D | 283,271 – 95,231 | +49.6 points |
| 3 | 2006 | Dave Heineman R def. David Hahn D | 434,802 – 144,624 | +48.9 points |
| 4 | 2010 | Dave Heineman R def. Mike Meister D | 360,645 – 127,343 | +47.8 points |
| 5 | 1994 | Ben Nelson D def. Gene Spence R | 423,270 – 148,230 | +47.4 points |
| 6 | 2002 | Mike Johanns R def. Stormy Dean D | 330,349 – 132,348 | +41.2 points |
| 7 | 1874 | Silas Garber R def. Albert Tuxbury D | 21,568 – 8,946 | +35.1 points |
| 8 | 1946 | Val Peterson R def. Frank Sorrell D | 249,468 – 131,367 | +31.0 points |
| 9 | 1880 | Albinus Nance R def. Thomas W. Tipton D | 55,237 – 28,167 | +30.9 points |
| 10 | 1878 | Albinus Nance R def. William H. Webster D | 29,469 – 13,473 | +30.5 points |
| 11 | 1876 | Silas Garber R def. Paren England D | 31,947 – 17,219 | +28.2 points |
| 12 | 1974 | James J. Exon D def. Richard D. Marvel R | 267,012 – 159,780 | +23.8 points |
| 13 | 2022 | Jim Pillen R def. Carol Blood D | 398,334 – 242,006 | +23.2 points |
| 14 | 1966 | Norbert Tiemann R def. Philip Sorensen D | 299,245 – 186,985 | +23.1 points |
| 15 | 1952 | Robert B. Crosby R def. Walter R. Raecke D | 366,009 – 229,700 | +22.8 points |
| 16 | 1940 | Dwight Griswold R def. Terry Carpenter D | 365,638 – 235,167 | +21.8 points |
| 17 | 1954 | Victor E. Anderson R def. William Ritchie D | 250,080 – 164,753 | +20.6 points |
| 18 | 1948 | Val Peterson R def. Frank Sorrell D | 286,119 – 190,214 | +20.2 points |
| 19 | 1964 | Frank B. Morrison D def. Dwight W. Burney R | 347,026 – 231,029 | +20.0 points |
| 20 | 1872 | Robert W. Furnas R def. Henry C. Lett D | 16,543 – 11,227 | +19.2 points |
| 21 | 2018 | Pete Ricketts R def. Bob Krist D | 411,812 – 286,169 | +18.0 points |
| 22 | 2014 | Pete Ricketts R def. Chuck Hassebrook D | 308,751 – 211,905 | +17.9 points |
| 23 | 1886 | John Milton Thayer R def. James E North D | 75,956 – 52,656 | +16.9 points |
| 24 | 1882 | James W. Dawes R def. J Sterling Morton D | 43,495 – 28,562 | +16.7 points |
| 25 | 1868 | David Butler R def. James R. Porter D | 8,567 – 6,349 | +14.8 points |