Austin Ahlman suspends campaign for Nebraska’s 1st district • Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District nonpartisan candidate Austin Ahlman in Lincoln on June 17, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — Austin Ahlman, a journalist mounting a nonpartisan campaign for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, announced Sunday he was ending his run for office because of concerns over his father’s health.
Ahlman said in a statement that his father’s cancer had returned and that he and his family had “gone from speaking about the future in terms of decades to mere months.”
“Family comes first—always,” Ahlman said. “This decision was not easy, but the people of Nebraska deserve candidates who fight for them with 100% of their energy. I cannot do that while also giving my family the love and care they need right now.”
He announced earlier this month that he had enough signatures to be on the ballot.
Now, the race is back between incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Flood, who handily won the district the past two elections, and Democratic nominee Chris B…