Nebraska primary elections 2018: Deb Fischer defends her Senate seat while Democrats target House pickup

In the Nebraska primary election on Tuesday, voters will pick their candidates for what is expected to be one of the most competitive House races in the country — and for a Senate race that could be close if the Democratic wave is big enough.

Democrat Brad Ashford, an ex-Republican and former Congress member, is looking to reclaim the congressional seat he won in 2014 and lost in 2016. Incumbent Rep. Don Bacon beat Ashford by a single percentage point in 2016, and Ashford has earned the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue endorsement. But he does have a real primary race: Kara Eastman, president of a local nonprofit, is also running. She has a more progressive platform, backing Medicare-for-all.

Sen. Deb Fischer is a mainstream Republican through and through, and she’ll almost certainly keep her seat. But Democratic hopeful Jane Raybould — a Lincoln City Council member and former candidate for lieutenant governor — is promising to be “an independent voice” while slamming the incumbent as a “Washington Republican.” If 2018 really does bring a blue wave, this race could get competitive.