NE-01 Voters Are Calling on Austin Ahlman to Step Aside
Austin Ahlman, Independent Candidate, Nebraska's 1st Congressional District
We are voters in Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, and we are calling on Austin Ahlman to end his campaign.
Mike Flood has failed this district. He voted to cut healthcare, slash food assistance, and deliver tax breaks to corporations and billionaires while working families across NE-01 struggle to get by.
Defeating Mike Flood must come first.
By his own statement on a public virtual event, Austin Ahlman admitted his only path forward is to have the elected Democratic nominee drop out. This is a slap in the face to the 46,000 people that voted in the primary. He also announced he only raised approximately $96,000 - far less than what Backemeyer has raised.
Why we don't trust Austin's campaign or believe that he will do anything but split the vote and re-elect Mike Flood:
- In his own words said he was more focused on getting press and national attention. He has not yet gathered enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. This is not a serious candidate.
- His core staff is not from Nebraska's 1st District. We don't need more outsiders and "east coast elites" interfering in our elections and telling us how to vote.
- The overwhelming majority of his support online comes from outside Nebraska — voters in the district are not showing up for him.
We have a candidate that can win and the voters have elected in the primary to represent us - that needs to be respected!
Chris Backemeyer is already on the ballot, has raised significantly more, and has built a real campaign operation rooted in this district — without dark money or outside interference. He is the strongest path to removing Mike Flood from office. Chris Backemeyer has the experience and has proven since launching his campaign that he has the support and ability to beat Mike Flood. A legitimate, recent independent poll shows Backemeyer 2 points behind Flood, the closest anyone has gotten to this seat.
We respect anyone who wants to fight for working Nebraskans. But a three-way race with these numbers doesn't beat Mike Flood — it re-elects him.
The ballot qualification deadline is August 3rd.
Time is running out.
We call on Austin Ahlman to step aside, unite behind the voters who elected Chris Backemeyer in the primary, and give Nebraska's 1st District the real shot it deserves at defeating Mike Flood in November.
— Voters of Nebraska's 1st Congressional District
Petition by
To:
Austin Ahlman, Independent Candidate, Nebraska's 1st Congressional District
From:
[Your Name]
Austin,
Nebraska's 1st District voters are asking you to do the right thing.
We know you care about this district. We know you believe in the causes you are fighting for, affordable healthcare, economic fairness, and accountability in government. So do we. That is exactly why we are asking you to step aside.
The math is simple. You have said you've only raised approximately $96,000. Chris Backemeyer has raised significantly more and is already on the ballot with a campaign operation built from the ground up in this district. In a race that already leans Republican, a divided vote does not send a reform candidate to Congress, it sends Mike Flood back for another term.
Mike Flood has voted to cut healthcare, slash food assistance, and hand tax breaks to corporations and billionaires while working families across NE-01 struggle. Every day this three-way race continues is another day Flood's team celebrates.
You do not have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot yet and you have not focused on this important task. The deadline is August 3rd. The window to make a different choice, a choice that actually puts this district first, is closing.
We are not asking you to give up on what you believe in. We are asking you to put defeating Mike Flood above everything else, because that is what the people of Nebraska's 1st District need most right now.
Step aside. Unite this district. Help us win.
Respectfully,
Voters of Nebraska's 1st Congressional District
This petition was created by concerned voters in Nebraska's 1st Congressional District and is not authorized by, affiliated with, or financially supported by the Backemeyer for Congress campaign or any political party. It represents the independent views of Nebraska voters who believe defeating Mike Flood must come first.