Latest news with #BrettLindstrom
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom running for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd District
Former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who has entered the race to be the GOP candidate for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service) LINCOLN — Former Omaha State Sen. Brett Lindstrom has entered the race to be the Republican nominee to defend the Republican held 2nd Congressional District open seat. 'I'm running as a common-sense conservative to protect retirees and fight for working families … focused on the future and national security,' Lindstrom said. Lindstrom, 44, on Monday became the second Republican to join the race. He was long rumored to be one of the GOP candidates to jump into the Republican primary if Rep. Don Bacon chose not to run again in 2026. Omaha City Council Vice President Brinker Harding announced his bid last week. Bacon's 2024 GOP primary challenger, Dan Frei, is mulling a bid. Lindstrom emphasized that he doesn't 'really get caught up' in who's in the race, but looks forward to people getting to know him and the other candidates, then deciding the best candidate to represent them. Lindstrom said he is a 'proven candidate' with a 'proven record' of getting things done. The former state lawmaker who represented northwest Omaha in the Nebraska Capitol from 2015 to 2023 said he has a track record of a 'pragmatic' and 'common-sense' approach. Lindstrom was known for pushing bills that reduced state income taxes. He also voted to repeal the death penalty in the state, which was reinstated through a ballot measure in 2016. Lindstrom pointed to his role in passing legislation that phased out taxes on Social Security income. He said he wants to bring that to the Hill. President Donald Trump's recently passed 'big beautiful bill' does provide new temporary tax deductions for Social Security, but it doesn't eliminate the tax on the federal program. Lindstrom, a financial advisor, said he has been able to 'meet the challenges' the district faced during his time as a state senator, and is looking to 'continue to do that.' He said he wants to bring a different kind of leadership to Washington, an approach focused on 'real results, not partisan fights, because that's what Nebraska deserves.' He was one of the Republican lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan statehouse to survive the 2018 'blue wave.' This would be Lindstrom's fifth campaign for elected office – he unsuccessfully ran to be the Republican nominee for governor in 2022. Most of his support during that bid came from Omaha. The 2nd Congressional District is the state's most politically diverse and competitive — and could prove one of the most expensive races in Congress for the 2026 midterms. Democrats already have a crowded field in the primary. Omaha political action committee co-founder and business owner Denise Powell and Omaha State Sen. John Cavanaugh have announced bids. Democrats Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis are also running. Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades, a Democrat, has said she is considering a House bid. Lindstrom has endorsements from State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha and former State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon. Harding has the endorsements of U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, and State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. He also received the endorsement of former Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, who endorsed Lindstrom for governor in 2022. Lindstrom said his time in the Nebraska Legislature has given him the experience to handle the 'complexity' of Washington. 'The message and [my] work ethic will speak for itself,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nebraska U.S. Rep. Don Bacon will not seek reelection in Nebraska's 2nd District
One House Republican strategist who works on campaigns across the country and five local Republicans familiar with his process say Bacon is not running for reelection. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — Nebraska Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon appears poised to leave Congress in early 2027. One House Republican strategist who works on campaigns across the country said Bacon was not running for reelection and that he had already telegraphed what he was going to do. He spoke to the Examiner Friday on the condition that he not be named publicly, because he was not authorized to share the decision. 'Don't get me wrong,' the consultant said. 'This seat is tougher without Bacon, but he's not special. It can be done.' Five other local Republican sources familiar with Bacon's choice confirmed that he had decided to skip the 2026 race. They echoed Friday evening reports from Washington, D.C., including from Punchbowl News. Bacon's campaign had no immediate comment on the reports. But people who know politics in Nebraska's Omaha-based 2nd District had been buzzing for days about the possibility of Bacon making a decision as soon as next week. Bacon had planned to meet with local reporters early next week. Part of the buzz came from a group of Nebraska Republicans waiting on Bacon's decision, a list that local conservatives have said includes former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom and Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding, and might also include Bacon's 2024 GOP primary challenger, Dan Frei. Bacon, in recent interviews with the Nebraska Examiner and other publications, had been hinting that he might step away, with the retired Air Force brigadier saying that he had to speak with his family and decide. Bacon's decision would cause national political shockwaves, as Bacon represents one of a handful of true swing districts left nationally, one that is Nebraska's most political divided and diverse. The 2nd District includes all of Douglas and Saunders Counties and a significant slice of western suburban and rural Sarpy County. The district includes the state's largest concentration of Democrats and was redistricted to include a larger swath of Republican-leaning rural voters in Wahoo and surrounding areas. Neither the Nebraska Republican Party nor the National Republican Congressional Committee had any immediate comment. 'The writing has been on the wall for months,' said Madison Andrus, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of congressional Democrats. Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, tweeted after Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman tweeted the news that local Democrats have been ready. 'Don Bacon and all the Republicans who give Trump cover see the writing on the wall–voters actually want politicians to focus on issues that impact our pocket books not made up culture wars,' she said. She touted the Democrats who have already announced, including political action committee co-founder and business owner Denise Powell and State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha. Before word of Bacon's future broke on Friday, a third major Democrat confirmed she is considering a bid, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades. Powell, in a statement, thanks Bacon for his service in the military and in Congress and said it 'takes courage to recognize when a fresh perspective is warranted.' 'This district is clearly ready for — and deserves — change,' Powell said. Cavanaugh, in a statement, thanked Bacon 'for his decades of service to his country' and wished him well. 'The people of Nebraska's 2nd District know it's time for a change,' Cavanaugh said. Rhoades, in a statement, said Bacon had 'finally realized what has been obvious to all of us: Republicans can't defend their record this year.' 'Costs are going up, they're cutting healthcare, but they're giving tax breaks to billionaires,' Rhoades said. Bacon has been able to fend off multiple Democratic challengers in recent years, thanks in part to the district's slight GOP tilt. Now, it could be a mad dash for both parties toward an open seat. The retired Air Force brigadier general gained national attention for being one of the few Republicans to criticize President Donald Trump, though, despite Bacon's criticism, he often ended up siding with his party as a reliable GOP vote. He survived pointed criticism from Trump and multiple attempts to recruit a GOP challenger from the president and his political team. Bacon most recently defeated former State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha in back-to-back elections. Before that, he defeated Omaha progressive Kara Eastman in two successive contests. And he won election in 2016 by defeating the last Democrat to hold the 'blue dot' seat, the late-U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb. Besides the two highest-profile Democratic candidates in the race, Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis have confirmed they are running. Whoever emerges from the 2026 Democratic primary will have to tangle with a former gubernatorial candidate in Lindstrom, a longtime City Council member in Harding or perhaps a state officeholder on the Republican side. The nonpartisan Center for Politics, the home of Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, just shifted the Omaha-based House race to lean Democrat from toss-up. Examiner Editor-in-chief Aaron Sanderford contributed to this report. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
