Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) has won reelection to a second term, the Associated Press projected Tuesday evening.
The AP called the result before any votes in the Nebraska Senate election were tallied, meaning that various exit poll results were used to determine the result. Sasse is popular in his state despite his rocky relationship with President Trump.
“I don’t think the way he’s led through COVID has been reasonable or responsible, or right,” Sasse told constituents in a town hall phone call in October. “I’m now looking at the possibility of a Republican blood bath in the Senate, and that’s why I’ve never been on the Trump train.”
Sasse’s Democratic challenger, Chris Janicek, was pilloried following revelations that Janicek sent sexually explicit texts about a female staffer to a chat group of his employees. The Nebraska Democratic Party subsequently decided to withhold all resources from Janicek’s campaign.
Sasse’s win follows the victory of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), who defeated Democratic challenger Amy McGrath. The McGrath campaign raised over $88 million and spent $73 million over the course of the election.