With the House majority hanging by a thread and Nebraska’s Second District seat seen as a “toss-up,” it’s no surprise that next year’s race is drawing candidates and funding from both Republicans and Democrats eager to claim Don Bacon’s seat after his retirement.
On the Republican side, Brett Lindstrom and Brinker Harding launched their campaigns within a week of Bacon’s decision not to seek another term in office. Democrats, however, were less restrained, with multiple candidates declaring their candidacy or expressing serious interest well before Bacon’s official retirement announcement.
Democrats face an increasingly crowded field in District 2, with six candidates now declared and no clear frontrunner for next year’s primary. The party has not had a primary this crowded in District 2 before—the most candidates on a primary ballot was three in 2020, when Kara Eastman ran against Ann Ashford and Gladys Harrison. For a party that often leaves certain races uncontested, such as Brinker Harding’s city council race in May, this suggests disunity and disorganization heading into a crucial primary.
A Rundown of Candidates
State Senator John Cavanaugh, whose father, John J. Cavanaugh III, held Nebraska’s Second Congressional District from 1977 to 1981, was long expected to run and was considered a frontrunner for the nomination based on name recognition alone. This has caused some consternation among Democrats about a “political dynasty” within the party that could sideline candidates with broader popular support. Others note that a Cavanaugh victory would create a vacancy in Legislative District 9, which would be filled by Republican Governor Jim Pillen, potentially tipping the legislature beyond a Republican supermajority.
Kishla Askins, a retired Navy veteran and former Biden administration official with a same-sex partner of 30 years, seems tailor-made for this race. However, she only recently moved to Nebraska, presumably to run for this House seat, and this has drawn accusations of carpetbagging from some Democrats online.
Crystal Rhoades, the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court who played a key role in John Ewing’s mayoral victory earlier this year, has also entered the race. Rhoades has had a long-standing, public feud with Jane Kleeb, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, over party donors and leadership, dating back to at least 2018 when Rhoades chaired the Douglas County Democratic Party. This tension has deepened the divide between the Democratic Party’s establishment and its more progressive grassroots, mirroring the MAGA-establishment split among Republicans.
Denise Powell is the current favorite among the Democrats’ more progressive members, earning endorsements from former NE-02 candidate Tony Vargas and State Senators Margo Juarez and Dunixi Guereca. She also leads in fundraising, having raised $429,739 in the second quarter. Powell is no stranger to political fundraising, having co-founded the Women Who Run PAC with Leanne Prewitt after attending the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., in 2017. While Powell may energize the Democrats’ progressive wing, Don Bacon’s success in holding the seat often relied on appealing across party lines—a critical factor in a district with a growing share of Independent voters.
Other candidates include Mark Johnston, a retired eye surgeon who has been dismissed by some as an “old white male,” and Evangelos Argyrakis, described as a “perennial candidate” who “seems to randomly register for whatever office is available.” During a previous campaign for attorney general, Argyrakis pleaded no contest in 2018 to a felony charge after assaulting his 83-year-old father.
Will of the Plurality?
Republicans currently face a simpler choice between Brett Lindstrom and Brinker Harding. While their supporters align with the familiar establishment and grassroots camps among Nebraska Republicans, neither candidate’s platform deviates significantly from standard Republican positions.
With the primary still nine months away, the early campaign stage focuses on fundraising and name recognition, proving to deep-pocketed donors that campaigns are organized for a marathon, not a sprint. After the primary, each party will need to unify their disparate camps ahead of the general election.
This may be easier for Republicans, as their primary winner—assuming no other candidates join the race—will inevitably secure a majority of the vote. Democrats, however, face the likelihood that their nominee will win with only a plurality of the party’s vote, with the majority supporting other candidates. In such a scenario, a popular but unelectable fringe candidate could emerge, potentially handing the seat to Republicans on “Team Normal.”
