If the anger Nebraskans are expressing towards US Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) at his town halls is any insight into public opinion, anything could happen in districts usually considered Republican strongholds across the Cornhusker State.
In spring 2025, Flood—who has consistently supported President Donald Trump’s trade policies—hosted a town hall in Columbus to speak with his constituents in the state’s 1st Congressional District. The frequent boos, jeers, insults, and curse words hurled at him during the event continued throughout five subsequent town halls, one as recently as July 28.
Things have gone so poorly for Flood that on August 5, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added NE-01 to its list of “Districts in Play,” or competitive districts currently held by vulnerable Republican congresspeople who could be unseated by Democratic candidates for the current election cycle.
According to a press release by the DCCC, “Nebraska voters are souring on Flood’s wildly unpopular record of raising costs, attacking affordable healthcare, and hurting working families.”
If so, a longtime Republican stronghold may flip blue in November.
Flood defends Trump throughout 2025, bearing local grievances
Flood’s Trump-related problems began in March 2025. At his first town hall, attendees expressed doubts and frustrations over the broad cuts being made across the federal government by the new administration. Three weeks earlier, Elon Musk had called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” in an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast even as Musk headed the Department of Government Efficiency, which focused on cutting government spending. This criticism raised concerns that the new administration would gut Social Security.
Attendees at the March event also criticized Republicans’ dwindling support for Ukraine against Russian invasion. From 2022 to 2024, the Biden administration approved legislation providing $164 billion to Ukraine to prevent its takeover by Russia, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Since Trump resumed office in January 2025, no considerable legislation or provisions supporting Ukraine has passed. Money still flowing from the US to Ukraine has come from the previous administration’s legislation.
Two months later, on May 28, Flood faced another barrage of anger from constituents in Seward over Medicaid provisions in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included stricter eligibility and work requirements. Flood voted for the bill, which is estimated to strip $1.02 trillion from Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits.
According to ABC News, Flood tried in vain to plead ignorance on a part of the bill that makes it more difficult for judges to hold parties in contempt of court. “This provision was unknown to me when I voted for that bill, and when I found out that provision was in the bill, I immediately reached out to my Senate counterparts and told them of my concern,” Flood said.
The audience was not convinced.
At a third event, held that August, Flood tried to defend the Big Beautiful Bill. The event devolved into chaos as Nebraskans broke into chants of “Tax the rich!” and “Vote him out!”
For Flood, a troubled 2026 under Trump 2.0
So far, Flood’s 2026 town halls have gone about as well as their predecessors.
On Tuesday, May 26, he was jeered at his first town hall of the year for defending the Iran war. Trump’s decisions to start the war and to continue it have been widely unpopular—a recent YouGov poll shows that just 27% of Americans believe going to war was the right decision—and Flood’s support of the war fared poorly. Despite this, a week later, Flood voted against House Concurrent Resolution 86, directing Trump to remove all troops from combat in Iran.
Flood also voted for and has championed Trump’s SAVE America Act, which will require on-site registration with a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers to vote, even though more than 21 million voting-age American citizens don’t have easy access to these papers.
On July 7, constituents berated Flood over his support for the SAVE America Act, as well as other recent Trump policies and actions, at a town hall meeting in Bellevue.
Three weeks later, he was booed again in Lincoln when he said he’d continue to support Trump’s policies at yet another town hall.
Aside from a close race in 2022, Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District has elected a Republican US Representative by approximately a 20-point margin in every race for the last 20 years. But Flood’s growing unpopularity throughout the last 18 months is making many Nebraskans question whether time for change has come to the area.
Chris Backemeyer (D) and Nik Sandman (L) are both challenging Flood for his seat.
See your ballot at couriernebraska.com/voter-registration.
