Box colors:RepublicanDemocraticIndependent (blue) / other party (gray)Nonpartisan office (party not shown)
Funding tie to a DSA-affiliated committee in filings (how badges work)The DSA logo identifies the organization named in public filings. Plains Ledger is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DSA. A badge indicates a documented funding tie only.
Funding tie to a DSA-affiliated committee in filings (how badges work)The DSA logo identifies the organization named in public filings. Plains Ledger is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DSA. A badge indicates a documented funding tie only.Legislative District 2 (LD-02) · State Legislature (Unicameral) · committee: KNUTSON FOR LEGISLATURE
Total raised (NADC)
$173,623
Sum of receipts filed with NADC for 2025–26 cycle (partial). Data synced 2026-10-24.
Head-to-head
⚔ Head-to-head vs DEAN WILLIAM HELMICKDefault opponent: general-election opponent once nominees are set, otherwise the top-raising opposing-party candidate (nonpartisan races: top-raising other candidate).
Where the money came from
| Source type | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Organization & committee contributions (itemized ties) | $145,493 | 83.8% |
| Individuals & all other receipts | $28,130 | 16.2% |
Via ActBlue: $7,884 in earmarked individual contributions. This is part of the individual rows above, not extra money.
Source: Nebraska Accountability & Disclosure Commission (NADC) filings, 2025–26 cycle (partial).
In-state vs out-of-state
Nebraska: $133,993 (70.8%) · Out of state: $55,150 (29.2%)
Itemized receipts with an address only. Only state totals are shown; no ZIP-level figures, so no ZIP with fewer than 5 donors can be identified.
Outside spending (independent expenditures)
Supporting: $27,101 · Opposing: $24,347
| NEBRASKA UNITED | Oppose | $23,041 |
| PROTECT THE GOOD LIFE | Support | $13,500 |
| PRESERVE THE GOOD LIFE | Support | $12,785 |
| CORNHUSKER CONSERVATIVES | Oppose | $939 |
| LANCASTER COUNTY DEMOCRATS | Support | $567 |
| NEBRASKA RIGHT TO LIFE PAC | Oppose | $366 |
| SIERRA CLUB PAC NEBRASKA CHAPTER | Support | $250 |
Plains Ledger independent-expenditure import. Spending is counted separately for each candidate it names: one ad backing one candidate and opposing another is reported for both, and these totals are not added together.
Top organization & PAC contributors
| Organization | Type | Direct |
|---|---|---|
| IBEW PAC VOLUNTARY FUND (union) | PAC | $38,000 |
| 📌DEMOCRACY NEBRASKA | PAC | $25,000 |
| NEBRASKA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PAC (union) | PAC | $17,500 |
| NECA-IBEW LMCC, LINCOLN, INC. (union) | 501(c)(6) trade group | $15,000 |
| INTERNATIONAL ASSN OF FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 644 (union) | 501(c)(5) union | $10,000 |
| NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION OF TRIAL ATTORNEYS PAC | PAC | $7,500 |
| 📌PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCATES OF NEBRASKA | 501(c)(4) | $4,650 |
| WOMEN WHO RUN NEBRASKA PAC | PAC | $3,250 |
| NE & SW IOWA BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL (union) | 501(c)(5) union | $2,500 |
| NE AND SW IOWA BLDG AND CONSTRUCTION | PAC | $2,500 |
| ERIN FOR NEBRASKA | Candidate committee | $2,500 |
| HUSKER GAMING LLC | Business | $1,500 |
| NEBRASKA GREAT PLAINS LABORERS DISTRICT COUNCIL PAC FUND (GPLDC PAC) (union) | PAC | $1,500 |
| FRIENDS FOR JOHN FREDRICKSON | Candidate committee | $1,000 |
| SMART TD PAC (union) | PAC | $1,000 |
| 📌NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC PARTY | Party committee | $711 |
Organizations only. Individual donors are never named, and conduits such as ActBlue and WinRed are not listed as donors. Pinned organizations are always shown.
Funding by funder type
All organization ties in filings (direct, in-kind and independent expenditures), grouped by the funder type assigned from the filer record. Click a group to see its members, amounts and filings. Individuals are never named.
Labor / unions · 9 · $87,500
| IBEW PAC VOLUNTARY FUND · PAC · Direct | $38,000 | |
| NEBRASKA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PAC · PAC · Direct | $17,500 | filings ↗ |
| NECA-IBEW LMCC, LINCOLN, INC. · 501(c)(6) trade group · Direct | $15,000 | filings ↗ |
| INTERNATIONAL ASSN OF FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 644 · 501(c)(5) union · Direct | $10,000 | filings ↗ |
| NE & SW IOWA BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL · 501(c)(5) union · Direct | $2,500 | filings ↗ |
| NEBRASKA GREAT PLAINS LABORERS DISTRICT COUNCIL PAC FUND (GPLDC PAC) · PAC · Direct | $1,500 | filings ↗ |
| SMART TD PAC · PAC · Direct | $1,000 | |
| BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS & TRAINMEN PAC FUND (BLET) C00099234 · PAC · Direct | $1,000 | |
| TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL NO 554 / 81 DRIVE · 501(c)(5) union · Direct | $1,000 | filings ↗ |
Business & trade · 2 · $9,000
| NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION OF TRIAL ATTORNEYS PAC · PAC · Direct | $7,500 | filings ↗ |
| HUSKER GAMING LLC · Business · Direct | $1,500 | filings ↗ |
Ideological / issue PACs & groups · 9 · $86,726
| DEMOCRACY NEBRASKA · PAC · Direct | $25,000 | filings ↗ |
| NEBRASKA UNITED · PAC · IE Oppose | $23,041 | filings ↗ |
| PROTECT THE GOOD LIFE · PAC · IE Support | $13,500 | filings ↗ |
| PRESERVE THE GOOD LIFE · PAC · IE Support | $12,785 | filings ↗ |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCATES OF NEBRASKA · 501(c)(4) · Direct | $4,650 | filings ↗ |
| WOMEN WHO RUN NEBRASKA PAC · PAC · Direct | $3,250 | filings ↗ |
| NE AND SW IOWA BLDG AND CONSTRUCTION · PAC · Direct | $2,500 | |
| NEBRASKA COOPERATIVE COUNCIL - POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE · PAC · Direct | $1,000 | filings ↗ |
| ASSOCIATED BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTORS OF NEBRASKA - BPAC · PAC · Direct | $1,000 | filings ↗ |
Other candidate committees · 2 · $3,500
| ERIN FOR NEBRASKA · Candidate committee · Direct | $2,500 | filings ↗ |
| FRIENDS FOR JOHN FREDRICKSON · Candidate committee · Direct | $1,000 | filings ↗ |
Small PACs & organizations (under $1,000 each) · 18 · $9,365
Filings & sources
Payments to vendors
Top payee organizations this candidate's committee reported paying in this period (FEC/NADC expenditure filings, as of 2026-10-26). Lawful, itemized disclosures; not an indication of wrongdoing. Payments to individuals are aggregated. All vendors · rules
| Vendor | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| UNIONIST PRINTING | 14 | $22,721 |
| USPS | 6 | $2,318 |
| CASSGRAM | 2 | $2,315 |
| CHISM STRATEGIES | 6 | $2,311 |
| US POSTAL SERVICE | 3 | $1,499 |
| HUDSON BAY CO | 1 | $1,105 |
| GOLDENROD PRINTING (GOLDENROD PRINTING & MAIL LLC, DBA) | 2 | $782 |
| DESIGNWEAR INC DBA SHIRTS 101 | 1 | $741 |
| STRIPE | 2 | $534 |
| 4 ALL PROMOS | 2 | $445 |
Stances on key issues (2026 ballot)
Neutral summaries and short verbatim quotes from each candidate's own words: campaign websites, news interviews and the Nebraska Examiner voter-guide questionnaire. Every item links its source. Positions are never inferred from party, donors or endorsements, and no grades are given. The same issue list is used for every candidate. Methodology
Export stances · Verified public filings (14 rows ready)
Caitlin Knutson
Nonpartisan office · Legislative District 2 (LD-02)
As of 2026-10-26
State issues
Property taxes & state budget
Examiner questionnaire (Budget): “Nebraska’s budget is on the wrong track. We have a proud history of balanced budgets and being fiscally conservative with taxpayer dollars. We need to return to that. The structural budget deficit is about $208 million, and it is estimated to balloon to $864 million in the next budget.”
Examiner questionnaire (Spending): “When it comes to spending, I will prioritize putting Nebraskans and our youth first. This is not just philosophical. We get the greatest rate of return when we invest in our communities, particularly our young people. Legislators should also make sure spending decisions incorporate long-term planning.”
K-12 education / school choice
No position found in sources checked
Abortion
No position found in sources checked
Sports betting/gaming & 2026 ballot measures (440/441/442)
Examiner questionnaire (2026 Ballot Questions): “1. Personally, I have reservations regarding online sports betting, but the reality is that it is happening now and those dollars should stay in Nebraska if adults decide to participate in those activities. I support the right of Nebraskans to decide this at the ballot box and will respect their vote. 2.”
Guns
No position found in sources checked
Immigration
No position found in sources checked
Healthcare / Medicaid
No position found in sources checked
Agriculture, water & energy (OPPD/NPPD/NRDs)
Examiner questionnaire (Natural Resources/Data Centers): “This is a top issue in District 2 and across our state. This is not an urban or rural issue. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is a citizens vs. corporations issue.”
Elections / voting
Examiner questionnaire (Ballot Measures): “Representatives should not get to pick and choose which [ballot] initiatives they will respect, nor dismiss the voting outcomes as being due to voters' ignorance. State senators have other options. They ought to try to craft their own legislation before people feel the need to take it in their own hands.”
Labor / right-to-work
No position found in sources checked
Crime / public safety
No position found in sources checked
Housing
No position found in sources checked
Coverage: 78 of 92 2026 general-election candidates have at least one sourced position; 6 have hand-researched campaign-site/interview items. Built 2026-10-26.