Monolith Analytics · Nebraska 2026 · Campaign finance
Both groups are part of one chain of money. Nebraska Donor Alliance supplies almost all of Democracy Nebraska's money. Both groups pay candidates, and both fund Preserve the Good Life, which runs independent mail in legislative races.
Amounts are 2026 unless marked. Arrows run from giver to receiver. Red lines carry the money that reached Preserve the Good Life, and what it passed on.
An independent PAC, registered in 2024, with Simone Smith as treasurer. It keeps almost nothing for itself. About $36,000 went to its own costs, including $21,720 in federal taxes and a $3,500 NADC late fee in 2025. Everything else went out as contributions.
It reported $2.59 million raised and $2.74 million spent in 2026 through October 19. Its cash fell from $431,234 on September 29 to $61,234 on October 19.
| Source | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Donor AllianceLincoln. The largest checks were $1M on Aug 25, $600K on Sep 10 and $150K on Oct 22 | $3,190,000 | 88% |
| Movement Voter PACfederal PAC, Northampton, Mass. | $260,000 | 7% |
| Dianne LozierOmaha | $125,000 | 3% |
| Nebraskans Connecting the DotsOmaha, 2024 | $50,000 | 1% |
| Recipient | Office | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Preserve the Good Life | independent PAC | $820,000 |
| Lynne Walz | Governor | $351,000 |
| Jocelyn Brasher | Attorney General | $125,400 |
| John Fredrickson | Legislature, District 20 | $120,000 |
| Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek | Legislature, District 4 | $110,000 |
| Suann Witt | Legislature, District 14 | $110,000 |
| Mark Martinez | County Sheriff | $100,300 |
| Christy Knorr · Cindy Johnson · Darin Tompkins$100,000 each | Legislature, Districts 12, 10, 36 | $300,000 |
| Danner · Ritnour$100,000 each | County Attorney | $200,000 |
| Pitts | County Sheriff | $100,000 |
| Protect the Good Life | independent PAC | $100,000 |
| Leirion Gaylor BairdSep 21 | Lincoln Mayor | $75,000 |
| Lead Nebraska PAC | independent PAC | $70,000 |
| George | Legislature, District 26 | $60,000 |
| Shay · Janet Bock$50,000 each | Legislature, Districts 32, 30 | $100,000 |
| Sarah SlatteryAug 27 and Oct 26 | Secretary of State | $40,000 |
| Jess Goldoni | Legislature, District 18 | $35,000 |
| Knutson · Trust Nebraska Teachers$25,000 each | Legislature, District 2 · PAC | $50,000 |
| Hutcherson · Conrad · Pansing Brooks | Board of Education 8 · Legislature | $7,000 |
In 2025 it worked in city races: $150,000 to John Ewing for Omaha mayor, $110,000 to Onward Lincoln, $100,000 to the Nebraska Democratic Party, $40,000 to the Douglas County Democrats, and smaller checks to Tim Carter, Tom Beckius, Bennie Shobe and others.
Groundswell registered in 2026 as a business supplemental filer, with Heidi Uhing as treasurer. That filing type reports spending only, so NADC shows nothing about who pays for Groundswell. Most of its spending is polling by Lake Research Partners, given to Democratic statewide and county candidates. In October it began paying for digital ads of its own.
| Recipient | What | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Preserve the Good Life | cashon the recipient's filing only | $100,000 |
| Brasher for Attorney General | Lake Research polling; two $25,000 digital ads | $82,973 |
| Slattery for Secretary of State | Lake Research polling, Jun 24 and Sep 24 | $20,916 |
| Walz for Governor | polling | $20,302 |
| Ritnour for County Attorney | polling | $9,950 |
| Respect Nebraska Voters | support for the initiative-rights ballot question | $1,776 |
| Ben Houchin, sheriff candidate, Lincoln opposes | digital ads by Hamburger Group Creative, Oct 8 | $25,000 |
| Sarah Slattery supports | digital ads by Hamburger Group Creative, Oct 24 | $11,667 |
| Lynne Walz supports | digital ads by Hamburger Group Creative, Oct 24 | $11,667 |
An independent PAC with Robert Corner as treasurer. Of the $1.05 million it raised in 2026, $820,000 came from Democracy Nebraska and $100,000 from Groundswell. The NSEA PAC ($115,000) and Nebraskans for a Stronger Future ($100,000) supplied most of the rest. It spends on independent mail in legislative races, printed largely by Unionist Printing and designed by Chism Strategies and Clark Creative Group.
| Candidate | Spent | |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Royal | opposes | $148,350 |
| Merv Riepe | opposes | $62,566 |
| Jess Goldoni | supports | $59,195 |
| Caitlin Knutson | supports | $56,362 |
| Brad von Gillern | opposes | $51,145 |
| Rick Holdcroft | opposes | $32,423 |
| John Fredrickson | supports | $31,419 |
| Chris Anderson · Dean Helmick · Bill Bowes · Rebecca Rens · Matthew Schulte · Tim Anderson | opposes | $121,442 |
| Darin Tompkins · Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek · Cindy Johnson · Christy Knorr | supports | $66,944 |
It also paid the America First Party $100,000 on October 19. The party registered with NADC in 2026, with John Cartier as treasurer. The party's own filing also shows $50,000 from Preserve the Good Life on October 23, which will appear on the PAC's next report. The filings don't say what the money was for.
A business supplemental filer in Lincoln, with Lisa Cook as treasurer, so its own donors are not disclosed either. It reports $4.18 million in direct contributions in 2026. The largest recipients were Democracy Nebraska ($3.19 million from 2024 to 2026), Respect Nebraska Voters ($1.2 million), the Nebraska Democratic Party ($639,000) and Jess Goldoni ($75,000).