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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Money starts pouring into Nebraska midterm congressional races
The U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked into the night on the "big beautiful bill" on July 2, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) OMAHA — Two political matchups in Nebraska will likely get national attention as both could help determine which party controls what parts of Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. One is the U.S. House race in Nebraska's Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. The seat is typically a target of both national parties, as one of the rare remaining swing districts that has stayed politically split. The seat may be more of a target now, since U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., decided not to seek reelection. Several Democrats jumped into the race, creating a politically diverse and competitive primary race. A first-time federal candidate is leading the Democratic pack in terms of fundraising as more politically established candidates are lagging behind. New federal campaign finance filings show congressional candidate newcomer and business owner Denise Powell led the way, raising $429,739 in the second quarter. Powell has connections to some of local Democrats' top donors. Much of her political team has ties to former State Sen. Tony Vargas' 2024 House bid. While money isn't the be-all in politics, it can provide a glimpse of the initial support and the viability of a candidate. Powell said, 'It's clear that people are tired of lip service from politicians.' Instead, she said, people are 'ready for someone who is ready to go to Washington to put our communities first.' She called her bid an 'opportunity to send a champion for hardworking Nebraskans to Congress who will finally put a stop to the chaos of the Trump administration.' State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, the other high-profile candidate who has been in the Democratic primary since early June, raised the second most. The incumbent, with his own list of donors, raised $130,341 over the same span. Ethan Dunn, a Cavanugh campaign spokesperson, said the senator 'continues to hear from voters across [district] that they know he will be the voice of reason amongst the Trump chaos.' 'The plan that John has to win the nomination is on track, and we are confident John's message voters will resonate with the voters,' Dunn said. Powell's campaign lists having more campaign cash on hand than Cavanaugh – with $340,121 compared to the state senator's $127,122. A third high-profile Democrat in the race, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades, announced her bid Monday and just started fundraising. The same can be said of Navy veteran Kishla Askins, who joined the race last week, after the fundraising quarter ended in late June. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Also running as Democrats are Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis. Those lesser-known Democratic candidates haven't filed campaign finance forms. Federal law requires candidates to file campaign finance paperwork quarterly with the Federal Election Commission unless they have not yet raised or spent $5,000. The two highest-profile announced Republican candidates in Nebraska's 2nd District, Omaha City Council, Vice President Brinker Harding and former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, entered the race this month, after the fundraising quarter ended. Neither had filed FEC reports. However, Harding's campaign has said it had raised $222,000 in the first two days after announcing his bid. Lindstrom's team said the former senator raised $250,000 in his campaign's first week. National political observers view the Omaha-area House seat as a possible pickup for Democrats, although the district retains a slight GOP lean. The 2nd District includes all of Douglas and Saunders Counties, as well as western Sarpy County. Nebraska's other federal race that could garner national attention is the bid by former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn to unseat U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb. Osborn made national headlines in 2024 for turning an expected safe race for Republicans into a potential upset bid against U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. He outraised Fischer in 2024, according to which tracks federal fundraising. He raised $14 million, including some late money from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. For Nebraska's 2026 Senate race, Osborn has reported raising $196,541 since his July announcement, according to his latest filing. He listed having $124,202 in cash on hand. As expected, Ricketts, a former two-term governor, significantly outraised him. His campaign raised $901,113 and his separate Pete Ricketts Victory Fund raised $1.2 million. His victory fund is can be used for multiple races, political parties and causes. Ricketts has a combined war chest of about $1.5 million. Ricketts, who had to run in a 2024 special election to finish the last two years of former Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse's term, raised $5.8 million against Preston Love Jr., records show. Ricketts also has used his own money to influence Nebraska politics. He retains the state's dominant political operation. Osborn, who has proven himself a prolific fundraiser, has tried to frame his race against the millionaire Ricketts as 'the billionaire versus the mechanic.' Will Coup, a Ricketts campaign spokesperson, pointed to Osborn's use of ActBlue, a fundraising tool used often by Democrats, as evidence of a nonpartisan bid Senate bid with Democratic help. 'Dan Osborn's ActBlue page makes it easy for his liberal, out-of-state donors to support him, AOC and Kamala Harris without having to switch [browser] tabs,' Coup said. Osborn has said previously that he maintains independence from the Democratic Party and that he would not caucus with either party. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crystal Rhoades jumps into crowded Nebraska 2nd District field
Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades is running to be the Democratic nominee in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.(Courtesy of Crystal Rhoades for Congress) OMAHA — Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades is done exploring a bid. She is running to be the Democratic nominee for the Nebraska 2nd Congressional District. She describes herself as a 'unique candidate' who can meet the moment for Democrats who want to win. 'I am tired of the chaos in Washington,' Rhoades told the Nebraska Examiner in recent days. 'I am tired of people who don't know what it's like to punch a time clock and live paycheck to paycheck.' The lifelong Omahan has a history of helping local Democrats win elections as a political consultant, including a significant role in helping John Ewing Jr. become the first Democrat to lead the largest city in Nebraska in roughly a decade. Last month, she shared internal polling indicating that she and State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha are within the margin of error for Democratic primary voters in NE-02. The polling has former political action committee co-founder and business owner Denise Powell at what Rhoades called a 'distant third,' a characterization Powell's campaign describes as wrong. Recent FEC filings have shown Powell out-fundraising Cavanaugh. Powell has connections to some of local Democrats' top donors. While Rhoades has faced criticism from her own and opposing parties, she remains the last Democrat elected to a statewide post as a member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, the state's catch-all regulator for topics ranging from emergency telecommunications to pipelines. 'I've got 20 years of a proven track record of delivering results for the people of this district, Rhoades said. 'I have a track record of flipping seats from red to blue up and down the ballot. Nobody else in the race has all of those qualifications and criteria.' Critics of Rhoades' service at the courthouse and in politics, including some Democrats in Douglas and Sarpy Counties, have said she too often butts heads with coworkers and potential allies. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rhoades pointed to her record of 'doing the right thing even when it's hard' as a plus for voters. Her team's polling indicates that potential Democratic primary voters in the district want someone who would fight President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, someone with a proven record and someone who can win. Last week, Retired Navy veteran Kishla Askins joined the Democratic primary. Earlier this year, State Sen. John Cavanaugh, the son of a former Democratic congressman from Omaha, formally announced his candidacy. Denise Powell, the co-founder of a political action committee and a business owner, announced her bid in May. Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis also have confirmed that they are running. Rhoades gives the race a second longtime elected official, along with Cavanaugh, plus at least one well-funded newcomer, in Powell, and possibly two, with Askins. Rhoades has been in Nebraska politics for more than a decade. Rhoades said she plans to use her working-class background to separate herself from the candidates. She has said she would focus on kitchen-table issues. 'Democrats have seen an erosion of support from that particular demographic, because our policies and our positions haven't aligned with the needs of the working-class voters.' Nationwide, Democrats have been seeking answers as President Donald Trump made gains among working-class voters, including minority voters last year. Some economists and political scientists have argued that the flaws of free trade contributed to the rise of Trump and his political movement. Trump capitalized on working-class anxieties over some jobs being sent overseas and some people feeling left behind. Rhoades said she would focus on policy changes that protect and grow the middle class, creating jobs that pay a living wage, and protecting democracy. Specifically, she wants to address lingering inflation and push back against Trump's tariffs and approach to immigration. Another reason Rhoades said she is running is that she is concerned about Cavanaugh potentially vacating a statehouse seat at a time when one or two votes in the Legislature could let the Republican majority further erode abortion rights and pass more of the controversial legislation a handful of moderates, Democrats and progressives stop, because Republican Gov. Jim Pillen would get to appoint Cavanaugh's replacement if he wins. 'I want to make sure that we aren't sacrificing some of the things that the Democrats have been able to hold off in the Legislature,' Rhoades said. Supporters of other Democratic candidates have criticized Rhoades for leaving the Nebraska Public Service Commission for the local clerk's job and letting herself be replaced by a Republican appointee. Rhoades has said the stakes are not the same, that her regulatory role at the PSC wouldn't make possible a potential shift to winner-take-all or a stricter abortion ban. The 2nd District, which includes all of urban Douglas and rural Saunders Counties and a slice of suburban western Sarpy County, is typically a target of both national parties, as one of the rare remaining districts that is politically split. The district retains a slight GOP lean. With five-term U.S. Rep. Don Bacon retiring, the open-seat race is drawing a politically diverse and competitive field. The nonpartisan Center for Politics, the home of Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, shifted the Omaha-based House race to lean democratic from toss-up. The Cook Political Report also shifted the race to lean Democrat. Omaha City Council Vice President Brinker Harding and former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha have announced bids to be the Republican nominee. National and local political observers expect it to prove one of the more competitive races in Congress for the 2026 midterms. 'There's too much at risk here for [Democrats] to be taking chances on this seat,' Rhoades said. 'We've got some really big problems in this country, and it calls for very serious people.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Douglas County District Court Clerk exploring bid in Nebraska's crowded 2nd District field
Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades says 'some folks' have been lobbying her to run for the U.S. House in Nebraska's 2nd District. (Courtesy of Rhoades for Public Service Commission) OMAHA — The Democratic primary for the U.S. House seat in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District might soon get more crowded. Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades told the Nebraska Examiner this week that she is 'testing-the-waters' for possibly jumping into the race in the Omaha-based 2nd District now represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon. She said she could be interested whether Bacon stays in the race or retires. 'It's certainly not a secret that I'm considering it,' Rhoades said. She said 'some folks' have been lobbying her to get in, and her campaign shared internal polling indicating her and State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha within the margin of error for Democratic primary voters in NE-02. The polling has former political action committee co-founder and business owner Denise Powell at what Rhoades called a 'distant third.' 'John and I are starting from the same place,' Rhoades said. State Sen. John Cavanaugh running for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd District Earlier this month, Cavanaugh, the son of a former Democratic congressman from Omaha, formally announced his candidacy. Powell, the daughter of a leader in Spanish-language news, announced her bid in May. Besides the two highest-profile Democratic candidates in the race, Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis have confirmed they are running. Republicans are waiting in the wings for Bacon's decision, a list that local conservatives have said includes former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding and perhaps Bacon's 2024 GOP primary challenger, Dan Frei. The lifetime Omahan was the last Democrat elected to a statewide position as a member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, the state's catch-all regulator for topics as varied as telecommunications and pipelines. She also has a history of helping local Democrats win elections as a political consultant, including a significant role in helping John Ewing Jr. become the first Democrat to lead the largest city in Nebraska in roughly a decade. She pointed to her working-class background and her record of 'doing the right thing even when it's hard' as a plus for voters. Rhoades said she would focus on protecting and growing the middle class, creating jobs that pay a living wage and protecting democracy. Rhoades told the Examiner that Cavanaugh and an unnamed potential candidate had asked her and her husband, Ben, to work on their campaigns. She said she would only join the House race if she sees data that shows her in the strongest position to defeat whichever Republican emerges. 'Ben [Onkka] and I are in the process of evaluating who the strongest candidate is for the district. If it's me, I'll run,' Rhoades said. The polling indicates that potential Democratic primary voters in the district want someone who would fight President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, someone who can win and someone with a proven record. Rhoades described herself as a 'check, check, check' on those. Denise Powell launches bid in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District In recent weeks, Rhoades was rumored to be a candidate to replace Ewing in his former position as Douglas County treasurer, but the Douglas County Board this week hinted at wanting a 'non-political option' to fill the remainder of Ewing's term, someone who won't run for the office. Rhoades said her experience differentiates her from the two high-profile Democrats in the House race. She said she has held multiple elective positions for over 20 years and knows how to help Democrats win elections. She said that Cavanaugh could have some baggage as part of a political dynasty, and there are concerns about his potentially vacating a statehouse seat, because Republican Gov. Jim Pillen would get to appoint his replacement. Rhoades said Powell's inexperience could make the race a 'very difficult time.' 'I think that this may not be the right time and the environment for … a rookie,' Rhoades said. Rhoades has faced some criticisms from her years in service and work with Democrats in Douglas and Sarpy Counties, including for butting heads with some fellow Democrats and some co-workers in the Douglas County Courthouse. Rhoades emphasizes that her decision on whether to run will be 'data-driven.' She says she lacks the hubris to believe that she is the only Democrat who can win. She said she would decide whether to form a federal fundraising committee or jump into the race in the coming weeks. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navigating an era of post-binary political labeling
The traditional ways of labeling a political idea or opponent are giving way to a less binary approach. (Getty Images) I best watch my language, because the world, as it has for a couple millennia, is changing once again. And the words and tools by which we both described and navigated yesterday may not be accurate or effective tomorrow. I was reminded of this syntactic phenomenon last week after Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha announced his candidacy for the U.S. House in the state's 2nd Congressional District. I'll digress for a moment to remind you that Cavanaugh wants a gig in Congress, the august, albeit temporarily paralyzed body that — aside from expressing its official disapproval 11 times — has passed exactly three pieces of legislation in five months, according to LegiScan, a legislative tracking service that keeps tabs on such things. If Cavanaugh survives a May primary with Omaha PAC co-founder and small business owner Denise Powell, he will oppose incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, who said of Cavanaugh, 'I personally like John, but his left-wing voting record will sink him in his run for Congress … ' Left-wing voting record? How far left? What is left? I'm thinking it's a badge Bacon hopes to affix to Cavanaugh for some political play with those on the, well, right I guess. The language, however, is too simple, too easy. While logicians over the centuries have warned of the 'false dilemma,' the modern world, perhaps starting with 'love it or leave it' some sixty years ago, continues to use it with even greater imprecision. To wit: left/right, liberal/conservative, blue/red, et al. The inexactness is the result of our more diffuse political landscape, in which affiliation is no longer politically de rigueur. More independent thinkers find themselves bumping up against true believers and political party lines. Welcome to the era of 'post-binary political labeling.' This new age of accuracy follows a series of language missteps in the ongoing culture wars, those tantrum-laden throwdowns, which continue to suck oxygen out of the political atmosphere. For example, the word 'woke' has a permanent place on the tongues of those looking for a shorthand to describe what ails America. 'Woke' was the subject of this space when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis thought he could ride a wave of anti-woke sentiment into the White House. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, in material announcing his bid for re-election, said last week that among his accomplishments was banning 'woke, DEI, nonsense.' Rarely do Pillen or DeSantis or anyone who disparages 'woke' explain exactly what it means, assuming, I suppose, that we understand the problem with wokeness. Or, perhaps, they just count on us thinking it must be bad. The result? 'Woke,' like 'fake news,' 'patriot' or 'terrorism,' is the victim of what linguists call 'semantic satiation,' which essentially means when we hear a word repeated incessantly, it begins to lose its meaning. Of course, using even the most rudimentary definition of 'woke,' the opposite of someone being awake would be someone being asleep. Let's just hope none of them are at the wheel. Any solution to our binary political discourse losing its precision requires an effort on the part of those making decisions. Chief among that crowd are voters, whom we hope employ more than such 'either/ors' as left/right, liberal/conservative and blue/red. One of the great ironies of the modern world is that never has so much information left so many of us uninformed. That was the conclusion of a study by researchers at MIT and Columbia. The group surveyed 15,000 participants, giving each a true and a fake news story. Afterward, participants were asked to 'confidently choose the true one.' While 47% of the subjects were able to do that, even my math indicates more who didn't. Living with and by democratic principles demands intention and effort. That's for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is gleaning the right information from words that run the political gamut from uplifting to equivocating to demeaning to honoring. The task can be overwhelming, so sometimes I take the easier route: labels — even when I know they tell only a small part of the story. That may have worked once but not without consequence now. In the post-binary political labeling era — given the morass of bad intel, ad hominem attacks and an ocean of lies — all of us need to up our game, relying less on binary tags and more on actual, verifiable evidence. Former CBS anchor Harry Reasoner once said that he hated labels, because they tend to group you with people with whom you have only one thing in common. Good advice, especially if I'm trying to watch my language. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
