Lawmakers narrow, advance bill to define male and female in Nebraska law for school sports
LINCOLN — A bill seeking to define 'male' and 'female' in Nebraska law advanced Wednesday for K-12 and collegiate sports teams alone, no longer for school bathrooms, school locker rooms or state agencies.
State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston ultimately supported Legislative Bill 89, the 'Stand With Women Act,' on the condition that his amendment was adopted to limit the bill to sports. He said the amended bill preserves athletic competition without a 'moral panic' against transgender Nebraskans.
'I did not run for office to become part of the 'Nebraska State Potty Patrol,'' said Riepe, who publicly requested the change last month.
Riepe's amendment was adopted 34-8. The bill advanced 33-15.
The 'panic,' Riepe said, 'is no different' than when some people justified 'government overreach' to argue that video games make people violent, rock music leads to devil worship and comic books corrupt youth.
He said 'reason eventually won out' and 'cooler heads prevailed' in those cases.
Under the bill, a student-athlete would need to verify their sex at birth with a doctor's note before they could participate in single-sex sports, which State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, LB 89's sponsor, envisioned would come during a student's physical exam.
Public school sports would be restricted to students' sex assigned at birth, for males or females only, unless coed/mixed. There would be an exception if there is no female equivalent team, such as football. Private schools competing against public institutions would need to do the same.
'Sex' would be defined as whether someone 'naturally has, had, will or would have, but for a congenital anomaly or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports and utilizes' either eggs (female, woman or girl) or sperm (male, man or boy) for fertilization.
Kauth, who designated LB 89 as her 2025 priority, said her bill was about 'common sense' and 'adherence to biology' while establishing protections for women and girls.
She said she was grateful to Riepe, and while she wished the bill could remain in full, she respected Riepe and said, 'Sometimes making incremental steps is the best way to go.'
Kauth said she would return in 2026 and try again for bathrooms and locker rooms, which Riepe said he would not support. He said LB 89 indirectly took care of locker rooms and that he was against turning the Legislature into a 'vehicle for fear, overreach and culture war crusades.'
'LB 89, as amended, respects that line,' Riepe said during debate. 'It focuses on competition, not surveillance. It protects sports, not panic.'
Gov. Jim Pillen, speaking with the Nebraska Examiner a few weeks ago, said he would accept the pared-back LB 89 'if that's where it ends up.' He said that if a boy goes into a woman's restroom, 'the rest of the boys will take care of him.'
Kauth said LB 89 would prevent that self-policing and that a 'high-trust society' would give faith that someone under her bill is on the right sports team, or as in the larger bill, bathroom.
Some opponents, such as State Sens. Megan Hunt and John Cavanaugh, both of Omaha, have said Kauth's bill would require policing on whether anyone is allowed in the 'right' bathroom or locker room and would be discriminatory against transgender Nebraskans.
Still, opponents to LB 89 did not block Riepe's amendment — State Sens. Jane Raybould of Lincoln and Dan Quick of Grand Island even voted for the amendment, despite not voting to advance the bill later.
Progressives, such as State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, George Dungan of Lincoln and Victor Rountree of Bellevue, instead took time to speak directly to transgender Nebraskans and their families, knowing they couldn't stop the bill.
Conrad said that in more than a decade in public life, she'd never seen one group of Nebraskans and their families suddenly 'under attack by their government.' She said opponents would 'lean in with more love and light when faced with darkness.'
'Those of us who stand on the right side of history and in support of human rights will not stop until each member of the human family is afforded equal rights and human rights,' said Conrad, who previously led the ACLU of Nebraska. 'I thank you for your love and compassion in the face of hate and harm.'
Rountree said that as a pastor, he would stand with love 'because Jesus loved us all.'
State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings, a former public school teacher, said the bill wasn't about discrimination and noted that he would often have LGBTQ students eat in his classroom over lunch because they didn't want to eat in the full cafeteria. He said it didn't matter his political affiliation and that it was about giving those students space.
State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte said that if someone wants to be transgender, 'be transgender,' and if they want to play sports, they can, just on the team corresponding to their sex.
Kauth and State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman said it was 'shocking' that lawmakers needed to defend women's rights, and Kauth said LB 89 sought to prevent discrimination against women. The pair called out Dungan, who said lawmakers needed to 'shut up' and leave the issue alone.
Storer said it was 'gaslighting' to suggest that supporters had 'hate' in their hearts, which she denied.
'I see the faces of beautiful women disappearing, being erased, so they're supposed to step aside, be quiet, sit down, shut up, for fear of being called out for 'hating,'' Storer said.
She added: 'You can defend the rights of women and not hate transgender, and I don't hate anyone.'
Sen. John Cavanaugh said he didn't think the problem was 'hatred' or 'discrimination,' while he thought there might be some 'misunderstanding' of what 'discrimination' means legally.
'I think this is an unwillingness to get to know people,' he said.
Hunt said children just wanted 'the freedom to play with their friends without being politicized.' Dungan said 'all they're asking is to be left alone.'
Cavanaugh pointed to the biblical commandment to 'love thy neighbor as thyself,' and that when he met families who would be hurt by LB 89, they were 'just regular Nebraska families.' He said that while with Riepe's amendment the bill is 'less harmful,' trans children would still be hurt.
'If people have hurt your feelings by saying that you are 'hateful' and 'discriminatory,' then I'm sorry,' Cavanaugh said, 'but do not take that out on these children.'
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5 days ago
- Yahoo
Nebraska Democrats have outraised the Nebraska GOP since 2022. Does it matter?
State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston and Fletcher Reel of Omaha discuss election results for Pennsylvania at the Nebraska GOP watch party in Bellevue on Nov. 5, 2024. (Marissa Lindemann/Nebraska News Service) LINCOLN — While Nebraska remains a firmly red state in terms of its registered voters and elected leadership, that tilt hasn't translated into donations to the state's top political parties. Since 2022, the Nebraska Democratic Party has outraised the Nebraska GOP each year, both in state-level donations logged on Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure (NADC) and in federal giving recorded by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). The turning point was the state GOP's 2022 convention, which saw a mass exodus of party leadership and shifted away from the previous establishment Republicans to Trump-era populists and some old-guard conservatives. Some viewed the party leadership change as an indictment of the way the party was run under a team loyal to former GOP governor-turned-U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, as many Republicans at the convention said he held too much control. Ricketts was a major funder for the party at the time — one of the party's dominant funders. A six-figure donation from him was not an uncommon occurrence. After the 2022 convention, those donations stopped. In fact, none of Nebraska's current congressional delegation has donated directly to the state GOP since 2022, according to NADC and FEC filings. Democrats last held a federal office in 2017 with the late-U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford. Ricketts has remained an active political funder since then, instead donating directly to Republican candidates and organizations. Recent FEC filings show a donation from him of more than $750,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as just one example. He's also frequently provided donations to other state Republican parties and local GOP groups outside of Nebraska, usually in $10,000 sums, according to his FEC filings. Jessica Flanagain, a spokesperson for the Ricketts campaign and the senator's top political consultant, said he remains committed to helping the 'most conservative candidates who can win' races win, regardless of how he donates. 'Senator Ricketts has been clear about his commitment to conservative candidates and causes,' Flanagain said. 'He has championed protecting women and children by passing Initiative 434 (cementing Nebraska's 12-week abortion ban), and he has helped secure our elections by passing Voter ID.' The Nebraska GOP last outraised the Nebraska Democratic Party in 2022, according to NADC filings, primarily because of multiple six-figure donations from Ricketts prior to the convention. That year, the party logged over $1 million in contributions, but only about $98,000 of that total came in after the July convention. 'This puts a spotlight on how Ricketts' billionaire pocketbook has been propping up the Republican Party for so many years,' said Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb. Since the GOP leadership change, the Nebraska Democratic Party has raised more money, both locally and nationally. For example, during the high-stakes elections of 2024, the Democrats logged over $1 million in donations on NADC, which correlates to dollars intended to be spent on state and local races. The same year, the Nebraska GOP recorded $196,000 in contributions. On the FEC, which tracks donations intended to be used for federal races, financial records are tracked over a two-year period. For 2023-2024, Nebraska Democrats recorded over $6.6 million in contributions compared to $2.8 million for the Nebraska GOP. This year is still up in the air, though Democrats are currently in the lead with $322,000 in contributions filed in the FEC versus about $252,000 filed for the Nebraska GOP. State parties in federal races often act as pass-through entities, with campaigns using the money to access parties' lower-cost postage rate for sending campaign mailers and for voter outreach and engagement. State-level giving to the parties remains more of a mystery, according to NADC filings. The Nebraska Democratic Party has recorded over $336,000 in donations so far this year, but the Nebraska GOP has yet to file. Nebraska GOP Chair Mary Jane Truemper said this is because the party hasn't directly contributed to any state campaigns this year, so it is only required to make one financial report for all of 2025. This funding disparity may not be obvious to most, as Republicans hold most elected offices and have gained ground in the Nebraska Legislature since 2022. Retiring U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., has also maintained his seat in the Omaha area's highly competitive 2nd Congressional District. According to Dona-Gene Barton, associate professor of political science at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the explanation lies in Nebraska's voter registrations, where Republicans remain dominant. The latest voter registration statistics on Nebraska's Secretary of State website show that there are over 623,000 registered Republicans in Nebraska, versus about 330,000 registered Democrats. That large of a gap indicates that money doesn't make much of a difference in most statewide races, Barton said. She noted the 2024 U.S. Senate race with independent candidate Dan Osborn challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Though Osborn was well-funded and put Fischer in a 'weakened' position, Barton said, Fischer still comfortably won because she had the advantage of a built-in voter base. 'Despite the amount of money that was sunk into that race, the Republican still wins in the end,' Barton said. Kleeb says Nebraska Democrats have gained ground since she became party chair in 2016, more than doubling the amount of Democrats in elected offices statewide. She also noted signs of progress in 2024, namely that Nebraska, which splits its electoral votes and awards them by congressional district like Maine, was the only battleground nationally that sent an electoral vote to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. While funding may not make a massive difference, Kleeb said it helps candidates in local races. The party having more resources means those candidates can focus more of their energy on their specific regions. Truemper largely agreed with this mindset, though she still believes the Nebraska GOP is in good shape. She said political parties always have to work with what they have, but the amount of funding parties receive determines the scale of what they can accomplish. 'It's like a campaign — I've been a campaign manager,' said Truemper, who managed Bacon's campaign in 2018 and later his primary opponent's in 2024. 'You have a plan, and then depending on how much money you have, you scale up or down.' Barton agreed that party funding in a state like Nebraska is most likely to have an influence on lower-level elections and ballot measures. It's particularly helpful when there are other factors at play that will motivate partisan and independent voters to go to the polls, like a promising presidential candidate, she said. Evidence of this could be seen in 2024, when four of Nebraska's six ballot initiatives favored more progressive outcomes, such as legalizing medical cannabis and approving mandatory paid sick leave. The outlier was a pair of competing abortion initiatives, which resulted in the more restrictive measure — Initiative 434 — prevailing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lately, Truemper said the Nebraska GOP has been more focused on regional, state and federal races, and have relied on county parties to support down-ballot races. Fallout from the 2022 convention meant the Nebraska GOP basically 'started from scratch,' Truemper said. She said the party shifted to a more 'grassroots' effort reminiscent of what it looked like under former Gov. Dave Heineman. During Heineman's administration, Truemper said the governor focused less on directly funding the Nebraska GOP and instead encouraged party participation at the county level. This brought it a broader base of financial support statewide, she said. When Ricketts took office, he funded much of the party's activities, Truemper said. During that time, she said, some of the Nebraska GOP's local bases of support 'dried up,' though she declined to say that Ricketts was the main cause of that. Still, Truemper gave Democrats props for their skill at raising money and using their funds strategically. She acknowledged that the Nebraska GOP isn't raising as much as she would like, and said she is focusing on rebuilding the party's fundraising base. Heading into the 2026 election season, Truemper said the Nebraska GOP intends to prioritize the 2nd Congressional District House race, as well as Ricketts' re-election bid. Ricketts faces a returning challenger in Osborn. Truemper said the party plans to support Ricketts' campaign by emphasizing the values and successes of GOP candidates in office and focusing on the importance of maintaining Republicans' majority in the Senate. 'Financially, he doesn't need our support,' she said with a laugh. Truemper said she also hopes to increase the GOP's majority in the Nebraska Legislature, which currently holds just enough votes to overcome opposing filibusters, if Republicans stick together on controversial bills. 'We are confident that the voters will see the improvement in the economy and the Republican's common sense approach to policy as a reason to vote Republican in 2026,' Truemper said. Truemper didn't offer many details as to how she hopes to improve donations to the party. She only said she will focus on building relationships and seek support from the Republican National Convention. Nationally, Republicans are outpacing Democrats in fundraising. Recent reporting from The Hill shared that the Republican National Committee raised over $16 million during the month of June — nearly double the $8.6 million the Democratic National Committee raised in the same period. The Republican National Committee has nearly $66 million more in cash on hand through the first half of 2025 compared to the Democratic National Committee, CBS News reported. Federal filings show the RNC with $80.7 million by late June and the DNC with $15.2 million. Kleeb said she is focusing on building out the Nebraska Democratic Party's state and county-level infrastructure to better support local candidates. She also said the party is increasing its investment in voter registration efforts. 'We take the ridicule that the Republicans want to throw at us, because we haven't won the big-ticket items that people only look at, but we've been building,' Kleeb said. 'And we've been building towards what we think are going to be big wins for our party in '26 and '28.' As expected, the Nebraska Democratic Party also plans to prioritize the 2nd District House race in 2026. Kleeb said they've learned from past elections that they need to invest in the region earlier. And the state party is working with local Democrats to recruit and support legislative candidates. Nebraska Democratic Party Executive Director Precious McKesson said the party is organizing community support efforts in the area, as well as other events meant to improve the party's visibility. McKesson said this stems from feedback they received that the party isn't as present outside of election seasons. Unlike most races, Barton said the House race in NE-02 is one where party funding could affect the outcome. Past elections in the district ended with razor-thin margins, and Republicans will no longer have the incumbency advantage with Bacon. The nonpartisan Center for Politics, the home of Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, has shifted the Omaha-based House race to lean Democratic from toss-up. The Cook Political Report also shifted the race to lean Democrat. 'The fact that Don Bacon is not going to be seeking reelection is a very strong signal about the possibility of a Democrat winning that seat in the next election,' Barton said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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22-07-2025
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Nebraska ed commissioner reflects on literacy, workforce, fed department
Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher. June 20, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education is moving ahead on priorities of literacy, chronic absenteeism and workforce development while navigating an ideologically divided governing board and federal uncertainty. The State Board of Education has selected three legislative priorities for the Education Department through 2027, focused on increasing reading proficiency among Nebraska third graders to 75%, halving the number of school staffing vacancies and halving chronic absenteeism. The State Board hopes to accomplish all three goals by 2030. Nebraska Education Commission Brian Maher says such progress might not be 'intuitive' for the average Nebraskan, considering the 4-4 split on the officially nonpartisan board between registered Republicans and Democrats, which appointed Maher beginning July 2023. However, Maher said the board has done a nice job pulling together, often unanimously, on many important topics, including what he terms 'LAW' — literacy, attendance and workforce — while differences remain. 'The occasional flare-up that might have an appearance of dysfunction really gets noticed, but what doesn't get noticed is all of the conversation, give and take on items of significance, like literacy, attendance and workforce,' Maher told the Nebraska Examiner in late June. Maher said he didn't bring the literacy improvement goal to the table, but he said if he has brought anything, it's a 'tenacity' to advance the 'laser-focused' goal of reading improvement. The state Education Department has also enacted the 'Nebraska Literacy Plan,' which is supported through funds from the Legislature and the federal government. Legislative Bill 1284 of 2024, led by former State Sens. Lynne Walz of Fremont and Lou Ann Linehan of the Elkhorn area, appropriated a few million dollars to employ regional literacy coaches statewide and to mentor teachers in grades K-3 on how to better teach reading. The focus is on training prospective teachers and getting literacy coaches directly in the classroom. Maher said 2015, his last year as Kearney superintendent, was a high-water mark for student achievement, but since then, student test scores have declined. With a focus on the 'Science of Reading,' a methodological research-focused view to teaching reading, Nebraska looks to improve the achievement trend. Maher notes that this was 'by and large' how reading was taught years ago. 'It's a little bit of going back to what we know works,' Maher said. Maher said several educational service units in the state, publicly elected boards to assist and coordinate resources with school districts, have a literacy coach in place. He said the Education Department has met with those coaches to boost consistency statewide. LB 1284 from Linehan and Walz, Maher said, 'planted the seed' for the science of reading and quality coaching in a 'very well-needed' three-year commitment. Maher said the Education Department is also engaging in the 'cross-sector' issue of preparing students in K-12 for 'whatever's next.' That includes higher education partners and also the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, work that includes developing apprenticeships. While Nebraska's chronic absenteeism rate has flatlined, Maher said, leaders must still reverse high absenteeism rates that 'accelerated' as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but had been declining before. Maher said there is finally more research on addressing absenteeism, in addition to how a good teacher can make 'all the difference in the world.' He noted that without students in school, it's hard to teach reading and math. 'We've got to find strategies in addition to that teacher who's a unicorn and a pied piper to get kids to come to school,' Maher said. One of the questions Maher is preparing for is what happens if the U.S. Department of Education is eliminated, a goal of President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Maher said he's had good conversations with state colleges, community colleges and the University of Nebraska to ask, 'What if?' He said that has produced a rough 'skeleton plan.' 'I get the question all the time, 'What's going on in Washington, D.C.?' and I really don't know a lot more than the average citizen could know if they followed the reports coming out of D.C.,' Maher said. He continued: 'I tell people … I don't want to panic. I don't want to react on a rumor or an innuendo. I want to react on facts. To this point, I think we've done a really nice job of that. And I think our schools have done a really nice job of that.' On whether eliminating the federal department would be 'OK,' Maher says, 'I need more detail.' For example, what occurs with the Office of Special Education and associated funding, as well as funding for various Title programs that serve some of Nebraska's most vulnerable students. 'If we can get satisfactory answers to those questions, it may make a lot of sense to actually shift some of the decision-making and some of the oversight to the state level,' Maher said. 'I'm certainly not opposed to that happening, but I need a lot more of the questions answered before we dig into that.' Funding has also become tighter on the state level, and Maher said while his department has good relationships with the legislative and executive branches, more money might not always be the solution. Instead, he said support in policymaking and 'having our voice valued,' which he says the NDE voice is, is valuable. 'Let's build from that strength in that relationship that already exists,' Maher said, wanting to focus on efficiency and maximizing current resources and expertise. Maher, 63, announced his candidacy in early July for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He did so with the endorsement of all eight State Board of Education members. He and Lincoln entrepreneur Brent Comstock, 29, are the first to announce for the Lancaster County seat. Maher noted the Nebraska Department of Education also includes a broader focus than a traditional definition of public, private and home schools. For example, NDE includes Vocational Rehabilitation and helping Nebraskans with disabilities 'from birth to death,' including how to be employed and maintain employment while working with employers. Maher said the 'dynamic' leadership of the VR division, for example, is 'phenomenal' but also a 'best kept secret' that educational leaders want to highlight more. NDE's Disability Determination Services also helps determine taxpayers' eligibility for Social Security. The State Board of Education and Education Department are now embarking on creating a strategic plan, which Maher said will likely cover five years. The final result will include feedback after about a dozen forums held statewide earlier this year, including in Nebraska City, Omaha, Valentine, McCook and Scottsbluff. The hope is to get the plan approved by the end of the year and ready to go in January, Maher said. He would like it to focus around literacy, attendance and workforce. 'I think if we do those things really, really well, a lot of other things will fall in place,' Maher said. Maher, who played football at Midland University, echoed longtime head football coach and athletic director for the Nebraska Huskers, Tom Osborne, who used to say that if players can block and tackle well, 'winning will take care of itself.' Maher noted the 'waters didn't look perfect' when he returned to Nebraska in 2023 on a 5-3 vote (one Republican and all four Democratic members) after eight years in South Dakota, the past three as the CEO and executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. As he entered his latest Nebraska role, the commissioner said he heard a lot about how he would need to pull the ideologically separated board together. The 2024 elections left the same board split 4-4, plus a moderate Republican who sometimes split ties, including on Maher's appointment, declined to seek reelection. She was succeeded by a more conservative member. Maher, a previous superintendent of Kearney Public Schools and Centennial Public Schools, said he received advice when he started that administrative work in 1999: have the audacity to lead, but also remember when the superintendent is the 'hired help.' While he works for the board, Maher said he must develop relationships with each member to figure out what makes them tick, their hot buttons and issues that could be a deal breaker. He said that sometimes means walking away from some issues, too, while making significant progress for Nebraska students in other areas. Along those lines, he offers a third piece of advice: remembering he has 'eight good people' who all fit into the education equation. 'If I can figure out how audacious I should be or when to step back and let the board make board decisions, but yet treat those eight individuals like the quality humans they all are, that can go a long way,' Maher said. Maher said he felt good when, in early June, the State Board of Education extended his contract initially set to end July 2026 to July 2027 in an 8-0 vote. He also received a 3.25% pay bump, to $325,237.50. Maher has pledged to resign as education commissioner if elected regent in November 2026, meaning his tenure could end about six months sooner. The native of Hooper says he tries to use common sense and work hard, and Maher said his passion has 'never wavered, that it is about education' at all levels. 'I've loved every piece that I've been in, and when people ask me how this job is going, I say, 'I love it.' I do,' Maher said. 'Now they think I'm a little bit nuts when I tell them that, but I do, because I think the work is so meaningful, and if you can be involved in education, I just think there's something special about the impact that you can have in that space.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
Don Bacon won't seek reelection in competitive Nebraska district
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) announced Monday that he would not seek reelection in 2026, opening up what will likely be a competitive race for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. 'After consultation with my family and much prayer, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026 and will fulfill my term in the 119th Congress through January 2, 2027,' the 61-year-old Bacon said in a statement. 'After three decades in the Air Force and now going on one decade in Congress, I look forward to coming home in the evenings and being with my wife and seeing more of our adult children and eight grandchildren, who all live near my home. I've been married for 41 years, and I'd like to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and the Omaha community,' he continued. 'I also want to continue advocating for a strong national security strategy and a strong alliance system with countries that share our love of democracy, free markets and the rule of law.' The announcement comes days after a source familiar confirmed to The Hill that Bacon would not seek reelection next year. Bacon's decision to retire creates an open seat in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha, was won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and presents an opportunity for Democrats to pick up the 'blue dot' district Bacon has held since winning it in 2016. Live updates: Senate debates 'big, beautiful bill' 'The writing has been on the wall for months. Nebraskans are tired of the false promises that Republicans are trying to sell and they want real results,' said Madison Andrus, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 'Don Bacon's decision to not seek reelection in 2026 is the latest vote of no-confidence for House Republicans and their electoral prospects. Next November, Nebraskans are going to elect a Democrat who will actually deliver for them.' The House Republican campaign arm emphasized it continues to feel confident that Republicans will maintain their hold on Bacon's seat. 'Don Bacon has served our country with honor after nearly 30 years in uniform and nearly a decade in Congress. Thanks to his steadfast commitment to duty and principled leadership, both Nebraska and our nation are stronger today,' said Zach Bannon, a spokesperson at the National Republican Congressional Committee. 'As we look ahead, Republicans are confident in keeping Nebraska's 2nd District red as we maintain and expand our majority in the House,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
