Data Center Record.

Nebraska Governor 2026: where the candidates stand on data centers

4 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the Nebraska Secretary of State's list. The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: Nebraska Secretary of State, Final Statewide General Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (September 11, 2026).

Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections

More on Nebraska: the state page · its laws and bills on data centers · its leaders

The candidates

  1. Jim Pillen and Joe Kelly

    Republican · In office

    Of 15 statements on the record, 2 were for data centers, 4 raised concerns about data centers, 1 was mixed and 8 carry no label.

    What they said

    2 4 1

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    15 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Jim Pillen and Joe Kelly's page · In their own words

  2. Lynne Walz and Ben Steffen

    Democratic

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 26, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Lynne Walz and Ben Steffen's page · In their own words

  3. Rick Beard and Keenya Barnes

    Legal Marijuana Now

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 26, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Rick Beard and Keenya Barnes's page · In their own words

  4. Brett Lindstrom and Michael Picard

    America First

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Brett Lindstrom and Michael Picard's page · In their own words

Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.

In their own words

Where does Jim Pillen and Joe Kelly stand on data centers?

Of 15 statements on the record, 2 were for data centers, 4 raised concerns about data centers, 1 was mixed and 8 carry no label.

Statements 15 statements

  1. · paraphrased

    Governor Jim Pillen said billion dollar data center companies are well positioned to pay their own way

    Kearney Hub · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · paraphrased

    Governor Jim Pillen said data center projects cannot be allowed to deplete natural resources

    Kearney Hub · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · paraphrased

    Governor Jim Pillen called for creation of a task force to study the impact of data centers on natural resources, land, water and electricity

    Kearney Hub · Full quote, context and sources

  4. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    Governor Jim Pillen said he generally opposes moratoriums, preferring that decisions be made on a case by case basis for individual communities and projects.

    klin.com · Full quote, context and sources

  5. · paraphrased

    Governor Jim Pillen said Nebraska needs to protect water supplies, protect ratepayers, and should not give data center tax credits.

    klin.com · Full quote, context and sources

  6. · paraphrased

    Data centers are necessary for staying ahead in the AI race and national defense

    Nebraska Governor's Office (.gov) · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  7. · paraphrased

    Governor Pillen said the task force will help evaluate the impact of data centers on Nebraska's water resources, power grids and local infrastructure

    Nebraska Governor's Office (.gov) · [Archived Copy] · Full quote, context and sources

  8. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    Governor Pillen said the task force will ensure county officials have necessary tools, zoning guidelines and policy frameworks to manage data center growth effectively

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

  9. · paraphrased

    Gov. Jim Pillen announced 17 members to the state's new Data Center Task Force

    nebraskapublicmedia.org · Full quote, context and sources

  10. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    Task force membership includes 17 officials including executives from Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Tenaska, OPPD, NPPD, Lincoln Electric System, and county commissioners from multiple jurisdictions

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

  11. · paraphrased

    Pillen stated task force must balance economic development with protecting state resources including land, electricity and water

    KETV · Full quote, context and sources

  12. · paraphrased

    Gov. Pillen said data centers should not receive tax incentives and the state should attract givers not takers

    Position note: Follows July 2026 statements describing Nebraska as appealing for data centers due to low electricity rates, accompanying an executive order suspending state tax incentives for large scale facilities.

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

  13. · paraphrased

    Gov. Jim Pillen said Nebraska is appealing because of available land, low electrical rates and abundant water, but has also provided tax incentives to data centers

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

  14. · paraphrased

    The executive order will create a task force to propose safeguards to protect the state's natural resources from data center use

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

  15. · paraphrased

    Gov. Pillen said the executive order will suspend state tax incentives for large scale data centers

    KOLN | Nebraska Local News, Weather, Sports | Lincoln, NE · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Lynne Walz and Ben Steffen stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Lynne Walz and Ben Steffen.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Lynne Walz and Ben Steffen.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Rick Beard and Keenya Barnes stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Rick Beard and Keenya Barnes.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Rick Beard and Keenya Barnes.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Brett Lindstrom and Michael Picard stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Brett Lindstrom and Michael Picard.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Brett Lindstrom and Michael Picard.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Candidates and their order come from the Nebraska Secretary of State's list, verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.

Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.

Every race in Nebraska, and where each candidate stands

Election Day is November 3

Make sure you can vote

You can vote if you are a US citizen, will be 18 by Election Day, and meet your state's rules. Some states' registration deadlines have already passed, and some let you register at the polls. Check yours today.

Both links go to official, nonpartisan sites. The record never tells anyone how to vote.

Check your registration, ballot and polling place Register or check at vote.gov

Researcher view · basis and source tier on every row · docket and Census GEOIDs · citation and export tools

Commercial and bulk data