Sam J. Howell ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He was an insurance agent from
Omaha, Nebraska, who had served in the
Nebraska State Senate from 1935 to 1937 and as the chairman of the Omaha Housing Authority.[2][3]
William Keeshan, former county attorney for
Boone County, Nebraska, and president of the Nebraska County Attorneys Association[6] (withdrew before the primaries)[7]