Democrats energized by tight race in GOP-leaning Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A special election in Nebraska was supposed to be an easy win for House Republicans. It instead was the tightest race in decades in the GOP-dominated district, boosting confidence among Democrats hoping to energize voters by tapping into public outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court's abortion ruling.

Republicans still won the open seat as expected, but the margin surprised even some Democrats who have grown accustomed to lopsided, morale-crushing defeats.

Republican Mike Flood beat Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks with 53.2% of the vote in Tuesday's special election, according to unofficial results. Pansing Brooks received 46.8%, with less than 7,200 total votes separating the candidates. The win was the narrowest in decades in the Republican-heavy, mostly rural 1st Congressional District, which hasn't elected a Democrat to the House since 1964.

“It was a thrilling result,” said Danielle Conrad, a former Democratic state lawmaker from Lincoln. “Patty far outpaced the conventional wisdom. I don't think anybody expected her to perform this well in such a tough district."

Flood and Pansing Brooks were competing to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican who routinely claimed at least 60% of the vote in his district before he was convicted in March on charges that he lied to FBI agents about an illegal campaign donation.

Fortenberry resigned shortly after a jury found him guilty and was sentenced to probation Tuesday in a federal court in Los Angeles. His departure left an open seat that needed to be filled before the November general election.

In the final days of the campaign, Pansing Brooks emphasized her support for abortion rights in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973...