Latest news with #JohnCavanaugh
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bacon not running for reelection
Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon will not be running for re-election and will retire in 2026, a source familiar confirmed to The Hill. His district, which includes Omaha, was won by former Vice President Harris in the 2024 election and presents an opportunity for Democrats to pick up the 'blue dot' district Bacon has held since 2016. The five-term lawmaker will hold a press conference on Monday. Bacon, a long-time critic of President Trump, has signaled his openness to retirement in recent months, per local media. His decision to step aside opens the door for Democrats in the competitive district as it seeks to gain control of the House in 2026. State Sen. John Cavanaugh (D) launched a campaign for the seat earlier this week, arguing he will fight to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans in Omaha were already delivered a blow earlier this year when a Democrat ousted the incumbent GOP mayor. Democrats have won the 2nd Congressional District's electoral vote in three of the past presidential elections. Mychael Schnell contributed to this report. Updated at 10:14 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- 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
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
John Cavanaugh launches campaign for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District
John Cavanaugh kicks off his campaign for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, promising to stand up for working families, veterans and seniors.
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
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Late attempt to shield physicians who recommend medical cannabis in Nebraska fails
Dominic Gillen of Bellevue, center, explains his family's support for medical cannabis, including for his 23-year-old son, Will, at a public forum in Lincoln on May 5, 2025. From left, State Sens. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, Jane Raybould of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth, John Cavanaugh of Omaha, George Dungan of Lincoln, Myron Dorn of Adams, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Jana Hughes of Seward, Margo Juarez of Omaha and Merv Riepe of Ralston. State Sens. Ben Hansen of Blair, Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and Terrell McKinney of Omaha attended earlier forums. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A late legislative attempt Wednesday to give additional protections to health care practitioners who recommend medical cannabis to Nebraska patients fell well short of moving forward a day after a broader medical cannabis regulatory bill stalled. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha sought to add those physician liability protections Wednesday to a broader Health and Human Services Committee bill: Legislative Bill 376. The measure seeks to slash various reporting requirements and make other changes primarily in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Cavanaugh said his effort was a 'solution' that would be a 'small but meaningful step' for some of the families who showed up Tuesday for LB 677, the medical cannabis regulatory bill from State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. LB 677 failed 23-22, falling 10 votes short of overcoming an all-day filibuster. 'Give these families some hope, some opportunity to get access to what the voters approved at over 70%,' Cavanaugh told his colleagues. 'Vote to give doctors some small protection if they follow their conscience and their training.' 'Absolute failure': Medical cannabis regulatory bill stalls in Nebraska Legislature Under the ballot measures approved in November, a patient can possess up to 5 ounces of medical cannabis for any condition with a health care practitioner's recommendation. However, DHHS has not issued guidance and many advocates have reported that in-state physicians have refused to issue any medical cannabis recommendations. Until medical dispensaries are licensed, which is required under the voter-approved law by Oct. 1, cannabis can't legally be purchased in Nebraska. Part of Cavanaugh's push also comes as Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers has acknowledged the possibility of investigating the licenses of physicians who recommend cannabis and continued to challenge the voter-approved laws. Under Cavanaugh's amendment, in language identical to the medical provider protections in LB 677, a health care practitioner could not be arrested, prosecuted or disciplined solely for providing a written recommendation or for stating in their professional opinion that a patient is likely to benefit from using cannabis to treat or alleviate a medical condition. The Nebraska Medical Association had voiced support for the protections. State Sen. Bob Andersen of north-central Sarpy County, who staunchly opposed LB 677, argued that Cavanaugh's amendment was not 'germane,' or related, to LB 376. Speaker John Arch of La Vista, a former HHS Committee chair who was presiding over the Legislature at the time, agreed. Cavanaugh moved to overrule the chair, which fell short 15-30, so the proposal didn't reach an overarching vote. The motion needed at least 24 votes because three senators had left the Capitol. Hansen, a former HHS Committee chair, said there was no 'boogeyman' in the amendment. But State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, current chair of the HHS Committee, called the attempt a 'cheap parlor trick' that could get LB 376 vetoed. Gov. Jim Pillen has said LB 677 wasn't needed. 'Fascinating process of playing chess where they're trying to deep-six the committee bill from HHS with an unwelcome amendment,' Hardin said. State Sens. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse and Mike Moser of Columbus also disagreed that the amendment was in the 'natural and logical sequence' to the subject matter of LB 376,' as Cavanaugh argued under legislative rules. Cavanaugh also pointed to a section in the bill that discussed civil and criminal protections for certain physicians or hospital staff. If the amendment was worthy, Hallstrom and Moser said, senators needed more time. 'I think this is crazy,' Moser said of the amendment, lambasting that it came around 8 p.m. Last-minute amendments, particularly late at night in legislative sessions, are not unusual. State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha said she thought the amendment was germane and that her opinion was just as valuable as that of Hallstrom or Moser. Hunt said the 'gag' is that germaneness is whatever the majority says it is. She pointed to the 2023 merger of bills to restrict abortion and health care for transgender youths, which State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha also mentioned. The Nebraska Supreme Court later affirmed the combined 2023 bill as having been germane. DeBoer said she understood Wednesday's hesitation and asked Cavanaugh why he chose a last-second approach and hadn't warned Hardin or others before filing his amendment. He responded that LB 677 stalled late Tuesday and that he came up with the idea Wednesday. DeBoer said that if lawmakers followed past practice on determining germaneness, the amendment was likely germane. But she acknowledged 'it's kind of crappy to do it last minute like this, no offense.' DeBoer was one of seven senators who voted for LB 677 but on Wednesday voted to uphold Arch's ruling against Cavanaugh's amendment. The others were progressive State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and conservative State Sens. Stan Clouse of Kearney, Myron Dorn of Adams, Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue and Jana Hughes of Seward. The two senators voting to overrule Arch's ruling and who did not vote for LB 677 were State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, who was 'present, not voting' as she continued discussing concerns with Hansen, and State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, who missed the final vote but had supported the bill. Bosn, a former prosecutor who chairs the Judiciary Committee, and whom Pillen first appointed to the Legislature in 2023 before she was elected in November, told the Nebraska Examiner that she was convinced by Cavanaugh's argument that LB 376 opened up many sections of law. Had Cavanaugh's amendment come up for a vote, Bosn confirmed she would have voted for it. Bosn said it made sense and is within legislative responsibility if physicians are reluctant to act. Bosn, Cavanaugh and Hansen said it was also a question the Legislature would have to grapple with soon because the regulatory commission can't shield physicians through regulations. In his final plea to senators, Cavanaugh uttered a popular phrase that the 'hottest places in hell are reserved for those, when in times of moral crisis, preserve their neutrality.' 'Don't relegate yourself to the hottest places in Hell,' Cavanaugh said. 'Do the right thing for these families.' Cavanaugh and Hansen said the medical cannabis fight continues in whatever way possible, either in the final seven days of the 2025 session, the regulatory process or in 2026. Hansen pointed to a phrase on the north side of the State Capitol that he said was crucial as regulations moved forward: 'The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen.' Speaker John Arch of La Vista ruled that liability protections for physicians who recommend medical cannabis was not 'germane' to Legislative Bill 376. A vote to overrule Arch failed 15-30. It needed 24 votes. Vote to overrule the chair: Carolyn Bosn, Eliot Bostar*, Tom Brandt*, John Cavanaugh*, Machaela Cavanaugh*, George Dungan*, John Fredrickson*, Dunixi Guereca*, Ben Hansen*, Megan Hunt*, Margo Juarez*, Dan Quick*, Jane Raybould*, Ashlei Spivey, Dave Wordekemper* Vote to sustain the chair: Bob Andersen, John Arch, Beau Ballard, Rob Clements, Stan Clouse*, Danielle Conrad*, Wendy DeBoer*, Barry DeKay, Myron Dorn*, Rob Dover, Bob Hallstrom, Brian Hardin, Rick Holdcroft*, Jana Hughes*, Teresa Ibach, Mike Jacobson, Kathleen Kauth, Loren Lippincott, Dan Lonowski, Dan McKeon, Glen Meyer*, Mike Moser, Dave Murman, Merv Riepe, Rita Sanders, Tony Sorrentino, Tanya Storer, Jared Storm, Paul Strommen, Brad von Gillern Present, not voting: Victor Rountree* Excused, not voting: Christy Armendariz, Terrell McKinney*, Jason Prokop* *Voted for a regulatory framework for medical cannabis in Hansen's Legislative Bill 677 on Tuesday (23-22) SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
