Cutouts at an Omaha office of the Nebraska Democratic Party on April 3, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/ Nebraska Examiner)
By Juan Salinas II, Nebraska Examiner
NE-02 Democratic primary candidates disagree on whether they’ll support the eventual nominee. Nebraska’s key House race heats up.
Omaha, NE – After a heated primary to be the Democratic nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, will the candidates unite behind the winner?
Of the top-polling candidates in the six-person race, State Sen. John Cavanaugh and Political Action Committee co-founder Denise Powell have both said publicly that they will support whoever wins the primary, while Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades and Retired U.S. Navy veteran Kishla Askins have signaled some hesitation.
“Our democracy is too fragile to let bruised egos get in the way of it … I am 100% committed to supporting whoever gets through this primary,” Powell told the Examiner last week.
After dealing with campaigning for roughly a year, voters in Nebraska’s 2nd District Democratic primary race should find out this week who their nominee is to face off against the presumptive Republican nominee, Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding. The race for the Democratic nomination has seen some of the top candidates attacking each other and a lot of ads, including from outside groups.
As the race’s longtime frontrunner, Cavanaugh has faced the brunt of the attacks — both from Democrats competing against him and from groups aligned with national Republicans. After a campaign rally last week with Maryland Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, Cavanaugh said he would support whoever wins.
“I’ve said all along that the most important thing is taking back Congress for Democrats and holding Donald Trump accountable,” Cavanaugh said.
Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidates attend a KETV forum in Omaha on April 12, 2026. They are, from left, Navy veteran Kishla Askins, Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh, political action committee co-founder Denise Powell, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades and Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
Rhoades criticized the Examiner for asking, saying it wasn’t a “fair question” to ask the candidates now.
For much of the race, campaign polling and outside tracking have shown Cavanaugh and Rhoades in the lead, the race’s two elected officials, with Powell, who has worked in politics, significantly leading the next group of candidates. But Powell, the race’s top fundraiser, has been helped in recent weeks by an ad blitz from her campaign and ads targeting Cavanaugh from Powell-aligned outside groups, which appear to have narrowed the gaps between the top three.
“I intend to win the primary … If I don’t win the primary, I will see … I will do everything I can to help the Democrats be successful, but … I don’t need to answer that question, because I intend to win,” Rhoades told the Examiner.
Rhoades, when she announced her bid last July, said she was running because she was concerned about Cavanaugh leaving the state Legislature. Ads from Powell-aligned groups have amplified the issue.
Askins told the Examiner in a written statement that she would “support the Democratic nominee who earns my trust and respect.”
Whoever is the nominee could benefit from positive headwinds nationally for Democrats. Democrats in Nebraska and beyond view the seat as a possible pick-up, which could be crucial for them to retake control of the U.S. House.
Nebraska’s primary election is Tuesday.
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