Nebraska 2nd District House race draws crowded primary field

By Molly Ashford and Jessica Wade, Nebraska Public Media 

High stakes and a crowded Democratic primary have made for a heated 2nd District House race as nine candidates vie for the seat held by Rep. Don Bacon since 2017.

The race has the potential to influence political control of the House of Representatives. Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, sometimes called the “blue dot,” has awarded its singular electoral college vote to Democratic candidates in the past two presidential elections – while also consistently supporting Bacon, a moderate Republican. With Bacon’s retirement, the Cook Political Report rates the district as leaning toward a Democratic flip.

If Democrats fail to secure the seat, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to take control of the House. The national attention and subsequent big spending has raised the temperature.

Lone Republican candidate Brinker Harding has breathing room compared to the seven Democrat competitors. The Omaha City Council vice president secured endorsements from the state’s highest Republican officials soon after his only Republican competitor, Brett Lindstrom, dropped out of the race.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh announced his campaign in June as a major Democratic challenger. He boasts a long list of endorsements from his fellow Democrat state senators and entered 2026 with the second most cash on hand of the Democrat candidates.

Denise Powell led on fundraising at the end of 2025. The co-founder of Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee supporting campaigns for progressive women, raised $1.04 million in 2025, entering 2026 with $624,760 cash on hand, according to the most recent filings from the Federal Election Commission.

As the May primary approaches, candidates are doing all they can to woo voters, cement their identities and set themselves apart from the pack.

Republicans

Brinker Harding

Previous elected office: Omaha City Council (2017-present)

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $543,996

Notable endorsements: Gov. Jim Pillen, Rep. Don Bacon, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, State Auditor Mike Foley Harding has served on the Omaha City Council since 2017, currently as council vice president. The father of two has deep ties to Omaha, both as a civil servant and as a local business leader. He previously served as chief of staff and director of economic development to Mayor Hal Daub.

His campaign messaging focuses on goals to “finish the wall and enforce immigration laws,” grow the economy, eliminate wasteful spending and “cut taxes for working families and small businesses.” Harding’s website criticizes the Biden Administration for allowing “10.3 million illegal immigrants to cross our borders.”

“In Congress, I will fight to keep our border secure, deport criminal illegal immigrants, rebuild our military to restore peace through strength, hold criminals accountable, and stand with law enforcement to keep our communities safe,” Harding’s website states.

The lone Republican in the race, he shared a statement in support of the U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

“For the past 47 years, we let a radical theocratic state play us and the world like a yo-yo,” Harding said. “The Iranian regime funded terror around the world and subjected their people to horrendous conditions. I hope the Iranian people can experience the freedom they deserve, and peace will finally come to the Middle East.”

Harding also criticized his Democrat competitors, writing in a Facebook post that, “Only the radical left would think killing America’s number one enemy is a bad thing.”

Democrats

John Cavanaugh

Previous elected office: Nebraska Legislature (2021-present)

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $410,998

Notable endorsements: Congressional Progressive Caucus, The Sierra Club, Former Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson, Former Omaha Mayors Jim Suttle and Mike Fahey

Cavanaugh hails from a prominent Nebraska political family. His father, also named John Cavanaugh, was a Democratic Congressman who represented Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District from 1977 until 1981. His sister, Machaela Cavanaugh, is also a state senator.

He’s an Omaha native who graduated from Creighton Prep High School before attending college at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He later received his law degree from Vermont Law School and worked as an assistant public defender in Douglas County.

Cavanaugh has said his “day one priority will be reversing the Trump health care cuts.” He also highlighted state legislation to give tax credits to people who saw their health insurance costs go up due to changes to the Affordable Care Act.

On his website, the state senator highlights the high cost of child care and housing as key issues. He supports “cutting red tape” to increase housing supply, down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and banning out-of-state private equity companies from buying single-family homes. He also supports expanding the federal child tax credit and giving additional tax credits to families to help cover child care costs.

Weighing in on U.S. operations in Iran, Cavanaugh in a social media statement said Trump should have consulted Congress before striking Iran but stopped short of criticizing the military action. He said the leaders of Iran are “bad people,” but Congress should “have a voice” before a war begins.

Crystal Rhoades

Previous elected office: Nebraska Public Service Commission, Metropolitan Community College Board, Clerk of the District Court

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $35,133

Notable endorsements: Omaha Mayor John Ewing

Rhoades’ campaign priorities include middle class tax cuts, immigration reform, protecting Social Security, legalization of cannabis and worker’s rights. She highlights her middle class upbringing and her experience as a working mom.

“I will advocate for a Public Option or Medicare for All, not as a government takeover, but as a necessary tool to relieve the burden on employers,” Rhoades wrote. “If we can decouple health insurance from employment, we free American businesses to focus on what they do best: innovating and growing the economy.”

Rhoades has shared specific policy goals, including the creation of a 90-day window for filling Supreme Court vacancies, elimination of the electoral college and a mandatory retirement for Senate, Congress and the Presidency.

In response to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, Rhoades wrote that, “Iran is an oppressive regime hostile to American interests and the world’s largest supporter of state-sponsored terrorism. The Iranian government has long worked to undermine stability in the Middle East and threaten our allies. But, whether that justifies military action by the United States is a serious question and remains to be seen.”

She called for a clearer explanation of objectives, strategy and exit plan by the administration.

Denise Powell

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $624,761

Notable endorsements: Lincoln Mayor Lerion Gaylor Baird, Emily’s List, Latino Victory Fund

Before starting her run for office, Powell worked as a communications and public relations executive at a variety of companies in Nebraska and elsewhere. She co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a nonprofit that recruits and supports women who run for public office across the state, in 2017. Powell took a leave of absence from her role at Women Who Run after announcing her Congressional bid.

Powell describes herself on her campaign website as a “mom, small business owner, public school champion and healthcare advocate.”

On immigration, Powell said she would support efforts to provide personnel, training and technology to “secure America’s borders.” But she also said she would work to create a path to citizenship for immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for a long period of time, and “demand accountability” for the “abuses of power” committed by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the recent far-reaching immigration crackdown.

In addition to strengthening the Affordable Care Act and “taking on” insurance companies, Powell highlighted her defense of reproductive rights on her website. She said she will fight to restore Roe v. Wade and codify the rights to contraception and IVF, as well as expand insurance coverage for fertility treatments.

Powell is in favor of stopping Trump’s “illegal tariffs” and expanding clean energy production to bring down energy costs. She also said she will fight to keep health care premiums down, build more high-quality affordable housing for first-time homebuyers, and invest in Head Start programs and other affordable child care options.

Like other Democratic candidates, Powell criticized Trump in a social media statement for not receiving congressional approval before striking Iran, while also highlighting the “atrocities” committed by the Iranian regime. But Powell was also more outwardly critical of the war than most of her counterparts, saying “our sons and daughters should not die in another Middle East war.”

Evangelos “Van” Argyrakis

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): Unknown

Argyrakis is a disbarred immigration attorney and former Attorney General candidate. His campaign lists three priorities: “fighting for our immigrant population in America,” “fiscal conservatism” and protecting reproductive rights.

“I would like to be known as the one who enacted comprehensive immigration reform legislation to preserve our immigrants rights and also to set up a pathway to citizenship,” Argyrakis said. “A quick pathway to citizenship.”

In 2018, following a physical altercation with this father, Argyrakis pleaded no contest to knowing and intentional abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult or senior adult, a felony. He served three years of probation and was later disbarred as a result of the conviction.

Kishla Askins

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $267,966

Notable endorsements: VoteVets, Nebraska Stonewall Dems

Kishla Askins’ military experience is central to her campaign. She spent three decades with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines in a variety of roles, with a focus on emergency medical care. She is a certified physicians assistant and is pursuing a doctorate in public health from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

After her active duty service, she served in a variety of policy-focused roles, including congressional liaison to the Surgeon General of the Navy and, most recently, deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Some of Askins’ policy priorities are similarly focused on national security and veteran’s issues. She proposes establishing the Midwest National Security Consortium to “link defense, health care, agriculture, and energy innovation” across the region, modernizing Omaha’s VA Medical Center and creating more pathways for people to transition from active service to civilian jobs.

Her other key issue is the economy. She proposes investing in apprenticeship programs and community colleges, providing tax incentives for companies that hire Nebraskans for high-demand jobs and protecting the right for workers to unionize. She is in favor of expanding Medicaid and preserving tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.

Askins was critical of recent U.S. actions in Iran. She said in a statement that Iran’s regime has been a “principal driver of instability in the Middle East,” but “Americans do not want another endless war.” She highlighted the direct consequences that war in the Middle East has at home – “driving up energy costs, increasing defense spending, and pulling resources away” from domestic priorities.

James Leuschen

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): $225,928

Leuschen has worked behind the scenes in the U.S. House of Representatives for about 20 years, largely as a policy advisor and policy director for Stenny Hoyer, a longtime representative from Maryland. He is an Omaha native who graduated from Omaha Central High School, Creighton University and later, the University of Chicago.

Lueschen’s policy platform is centered on the economy, with a focus on housing and health care affordability. He supports rolling back tariffs, which he says are “driving prices higher and exploding deficits.” On health care, Lueschen said he would reverse the recent Medicaid cuts and expand tax credits through the Affordable Care Act. He also supports restoring investments in clean energy made under the Inflation Reduction Act, many of which were rolled back under the Trump administration.

In a statement, Lueschen said the decision to go to war with Iran is unconstitutional because Trump did not get congressional approval. He criticized the Iranian regime as “the chief sponsor of global terrorism” that can “never develop nuclear capabilities.”

“That said, the Trump administration must produce its strategic objectives for this fight and its plan for ending it, as well as for the succession of power in Iran after Khamenei’s fanatical and dangerous regime,” Lueschen said.

Melanie Williams

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): Unknown

Williams is running as a Democratic Socialist. She describes herself as a peace, justice and human rights organizer, and an advocate. Her campaign lists a number of issues, including Medicare for All, reproductive rights, police accountability, the abolition of ICE and free child care.

In a Facebook statement, she took a hard stance on the U.S. war in Iran, criticizing Trump and calling for Congressional oversight.

“Americans were promised restraint. Instead, we are being handed escalation — paid for with our tax dollars, our global credibility, and potentially the lives of our sons and daughters,” Williams wrote. “We have already spent trillions in Iraq and Afghanistan. We cannot afford another blank check war built on impulse and political calculation.”

In 2010, Williams founded the Family Advocacy Movement, an organization that supports families and children in the foster and juvenile justice systems.

Libertarians

Eric Foreman

Previous elected office: None

Cash on hand (end of 2025): Unknown

Foreman leans on his blue collar roots. As a Libertarian, he said he stands for individual liberty, limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong borders, Second Amendment rights and peace over foreign entanglements.

“No more career politicians,” Foreman said. “It’s time for real representation that puts families first, protects our values, and restores common sense to Congress. Your support fuels this grassroots campaign. Together, we can knock down doors, knock out the corruption, and bring honest, principled leadership to Washington.”

His campaign priorities include “no more blank checks for endless wars,” lower taxes for the 85% of Americans who make less than $200,000 a year, and limited government.

Important election dates

Nebraska’s 2026 primary election is Tuesday, May 12. It will narrow the field of candidates ahead of the general election, which will be Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Voting begins when county election offices start mailing early voting ballots on March 27 to Nebraskans and military members overseas. County election offices start mailing early voting ballots on April 3 to registered voters in Nebraska. Voters can cast their ballots early, in person at their respective county election office starting April 13. Voting in person at county election offices will end Monday, May 11. All early voting ballots are due back to county election offices by the close of polls on election day. Ballots received after the polls close will not be accepted.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time on election day, Tuesday, May 12. Voters can locate their polling place online at Nebraska’s VoterCheck system, as well as verify their voter registration information is up to date and preview their ballot once those are finalized by county election offices.

There are two voting registration deadlines ahead of the primary election. April 27 is the final day Nebraskans can update their voter registration information or register to vote online, by mail, at the DMV, via personal agent or via deputy registrar. May 1is the final day Nebraskans can update their voter registration or register to vote in person at their respective county election offices.

This will be the second statewide election cycle with Nebraska’s voter ID law, which requires voters to present a photo ID before casting a ballot. Voters can complete that process when they submit their requests to vote early by mail, or they can present their photo ID before they cast their ballots at county election offices or at the polls.

Voters who have questions about voting in this year’s election can contact their respective county election office by phone or email.

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