Chris Backemeyer announces run for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Democrat Chris Backemeyer announced his campaign for Nebraska’s First Congressional District on Thursday.

The fifth-generation Nebraskan and “national security expert” announced his campaign in a video.

Backemeyer is challenging Congressman Mike Flood to “take on rising costs, confront our national debt, and bring Nebraska values of hard work and community back to Washington.”

“Families were promised lower prices; instead, they’re getting hit with reckless tariffs and higher costs,” Backemeyer said in a press release. “Meanwhile, politicians in Washington are handing out tax breaks to billionaires and cutting the very programs families depend on to get by. My campaign is about putting people first and making sure Nebraska’s values of hard work, fairness, and community guide our country again. Because if you’re doing everything right and still falling behind, the problem isn’t you — it’s the system, and it’s time to fix it.”

For 20 years, Backemeyer served in national security and economic policy in the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council.

Now he’s running for Congress to serve the state that shaped him, “fighting for families, opportunity, and a better future for all Nebraskans.”

“I’ve dedicated my life to public service and I know what it takes to get things done, even in a broken Washington,” said Backemeyer. “I served under both Democratic and Republican administrations because my focus was always on the mission and results, not politics.”

“Nebraskans don’t ask for much — just a fair shot and leaders who remember who they work for,” continued Backemeyer. “Mike Flood has lost sight of who he works for. I never have, and I never will.”