Election-skeptic challenger shocks Nebraska GOP primary, ousts secretary of state

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen lost the GOP primary to Scott Petersen, who campaigned on election integrity concerns and promoted extensive hand-counting while calling for tighter limits on mail voting. Evnen defended Nebraska’s voting system as secure and highlighted a 10% hand-count audit, but Petersen’s messages—often spreading debunked conspiracy theories about voting equipment—proved compelling enough to unseat the two-term incumbent. Petersen’s upset victory in a conservative state makes him the favorite in November’s general election.