In metropolitan Omaha's sharply competitive 2nd District, Republican Rep. Don Bacon moved into position early Wednesday to claim a fourth term, defeating challenger Tony Vargas.
Voters also gave strong majorities to raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour and giving airports the ability to use incentives to attract air service.
An at-times emotional Jim Pillen addressed supporters on Tuesday evening, saying the way he ran his campaign for governor has prepared him to lead the state come January.
Most Lancaster County incumbents won their races, except for county assessor/register of deeds, but several offices will welcome newcomers following Tuesday's general election.
Three candidates backed by the Protect Nebraska Children conservative political action committee won on Tuesday, shifting the balance of power on the board.
Lancaster County Commissioner Dave Shively said he hopes to have about 3,500 early votes not yet counted done by Thursday, with 3,850 additional ballots to be counted sometime next week.
At one point Tuesday night, just 20 votes separated Vargas and Bacon. But Bacon later began to open up his lead as more votes were counted from Sarpy and Saunders counties.
Bennington Public Schools' $150 million bond issue failed to pass Tuesday night with more than 67% of votes cast against it, according to the latest election results.