LINCOLN- Rural voters carried Republican State Sen. Mike Flood to a seat in Congress in the special election. But State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks’ better-than-expected results in urban and suburban counties could spice up the pair’s rematch this fall.

Flood and his team said after the win that he needs to perform better this November in Lincoln, where he served as Speaker of the Legislature. He said he did well in northeast Nebraska because people know him there from his work in Legislature and while running News Channel Nebraska.

Fewer voters in the 1st District’s GOP-leaning counties voted in the special election than participated a month earlier in the May 10 primary election.

Voting in each of those counties was down by at least 18%, based on a post-election analysis done for Flood’s campaign. Additionally, 3% more voters showed up for the special election in Democratic-leaning Lancaster County than voted during the primary.

“I think you really had to be motivated, and the Democrats were more so,” UNL Political Scientist John Hibbing said.

Hibbing also noted how important the factor of abortion was in the special election. One Republican consultant said the GOP’s problem on the issue is that its voters are feeling happy and hopeful after the Supreme Court’s decision. Democrats, by contrast, are feeling angry and scared. Anger and fear are better motivators, the observer said.

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