The 1946 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Roy W. Johnson lost to Robert B. Crosby in the Republican primaries after the Nebraska Republican Pre-Primary Convention refused to endorse him for reelection. Thus, the general election featured Robert B. Crosby as the Republican nominee who defeated Democratic nominee Robert J. Swanson.
Prior to the Republican primaries, the Nebraska Republican Party met in a pre-primary convention to endorse particular candidates. The convention endorsed recent Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature Robert B. Crosby instead of incumbent Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Roy W. Johnson. Some alleged that the reason Johnson was not endorsed was a perception among state legislators that he was not adept at presiding over the Nebraska Legislature or knowing the rules of procedure. Johnson's lack of endorsement by the pre-primary convention was credited with his subsequent loss in the Republican primaries.