Latest news with #NebraskaPolitics
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Douglas County District Court Clerk announces congressional campaign
The Douglas County District Court Clerk announced her candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Independent Dan Osborn makes another run at Nebraska Senate
Independent populist Dan Osborn, whose insurgent Senate campaign seriously threatened one of Nebraska's Republicans from securing a third term last year, is now taking on GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts — one of the wealthiest members of Congress. Osborn's news comes as Elon Musk is moving to create a third party. The candidate told POLITICO he's not interested in ditching an independent bid to join the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's aspirational 'America Party,' but would be open to his financial support. Osborn, who has already met with state Democrats, announced his candidacy against the former Nebraska governor Tuesday via campaign video. A Navy veteran and mechanic by trade, Osborn is aware he won't be able to duplicate the out-of-nowhere grassroots campaign he deployed last cycle, when he outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris significantly in the state. 'There is no element of surprise [this time],' Osborn told POLITICO, adding that he expects Ricketts and his allies to 'come out with a lot of money and go very negative right from the beginning.' Ricketts was appointed to the seat following the retirement of Sen. Ben Sasse and easily won a special election in 2024 to serve the remaining two years of the term. Ricketts is the son of the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade and his family owns a majority stake in one of American sports most storied professional franchises, the Chicago Cubs, making it easy for him to inject funds into his campaign if needed. But Osborn said he enjoys other advantages. 'We're starting off in a much better place with a tried-and-true set of volunteers across the state,' Osborn said of the name ID he gained by coming within single digits of Sen. Deb Fischer. He believes the grassroots operation he built last year coupled with a growing push of voters to upend status quo politics will help him break the GOP unanimous control of Nebraska's congressional delegation. That Osborn came as close as he did to capturing the seat last year underscored voters' dissatisfaction with both major parties. His latest Senate bid comes as tech Musk threatens to scramble politics by launching the 'America Party.' But Osborn, who aligns with President Donald Trump on some issues, doesn't see himself as part of Musk's nascent movement. 'I'm not interested in that. I'm an independent. I've been an independent from the time I could vote,' he said. 'It's an interesting idea, for sure, and he certainly has the money to do something like that,' he said of Musk, before making clear his chief goal if elected is to help take big money out of politics. But to do that, he's got to first vanquish Ricketts. 'I welcome donations from anyone, whether you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, America Party, doesn't matter to me,' Osborn added. Fischer survived her 2024 reelection after a late infusion of cash by Republicans and 11th-hour help from Trump. Republicans privately acknowledged they were slow to take him seriously, a mistake they are vowing not to repeat this time. 'Senator Ricketts has consistently worked for and voted to secure the border and cut taxes for Nebraska workers, families, and seniors,' said Will Coup, a Ricketts campaign spokesperson. 'Dan Osborn is bought and paid for by his liberal, out-of-state, coastal donors. Dan Osborn will side with Chuck Schumer over Nebraska families and vote with Democrats to open the border, hike taxes, and stop the America First agenda.' National polling hints at a growing discontent among independents, Democrats and some Republicans over Trump's policies, including the passage of his megabill last week that critics predict will add trillions to the national deficit and boot millions off Medicaid. Where Trump's standing will be in 2026 among Nebraska's largely conservative electorate is a wild card. But Ken Schilz, a former Republican state senator from Nebraska suggested the race will come down to how well Ricketts defines Osborn early on. 'Fischer's campaign really didn't even just scratch the surface on opposition research on Osborn,' said Schilz. 'Ricketts will spend the money to go out and attack Osborn. He won't wait around. For his political operatives, it's kind of what they live for.' Trump endorsed Ricketts earlier this year in a Truth Social post as Osborn flirted with a Senate run and called Osborn a 'radical left open border extremist.' Osborn made a blatant play for Trump voters in 2024, including vowing to help the president build the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and started a 'conservatives for Osborn' fundraising offshoot. To win statewide, Osborn will need to flip disenchanted GOP voters in the state's western half. 'I think Nebraska has a real, real chance of being the center of a lot that goes on this political season,' Schilz added, pointing to the recent retirement announcement from longtime Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), whose district includes the state's so-called 'blue dot' of Omaha. National Democrats kept their distance from Osborn in 2024, but privately viewed him as an ally despite him demurring on plans to caucus with them. As POLITICO reported in November, Chuck Schumer touted the race in a virtual rally days before the election. The Senate Democratic campaign arm and its main allied super PAC also made late donations to Osborn or groups supporting him. Democrats didn't recruit a candidate into the race last year and aren't planning to do so next year either, giving Osborn a chance to carry Democrats and the state's many independent voters, according to Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb. She met with Osborn last week, in part to discuss whether he would have supported Trump's 'big beautiful bill.' He answered in the negative. The two were at odds, at times, during the 2024 race, as Kleeb and other party Democrats questioned if they were helping elect the next Kyrsten Sinema, a reference to the Democrat-turned-independent who frustrated the party's base. Kleeb said for Osborn to win, he'll have to make up ground in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District, which broke heavily for Fischer last cycle. She said it's possible. 'We just think that there is so much anger at what is happening with all of the cuts, in particular in rural communities, that if there was ever an opening to win statewide, [2026] is the year.' But Osborn vows to remain independent, saying: 'I have no problem sitting at lunch by myself.'
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Centrist Rep. Don Bacon is done with Congress — but open to a potential presidential bid
WASHINGTON — Centrist Rep. Don Bacon, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House, said this week he doesn't have the 'hunger' for another grueling re-election campaign and won't run for a sixth term next year. But Bacon, who spent 30 years in the Air Force and specialized in intelligence matters, said he's interested in serving in an executive role down the road, and wouldn't rule out running for Nebraska governor, or even president in 2028. 'I got asked the other day, 'You say you're interested in being an executive — is that governor or president?' I go, 'Yes,'' Bacon said in an interview in his office. 'If there's an opportunity and I can make a difference, a unique difference, I would like to keep serving. I just don't want to do two-year elections.' Bacon, 61, acknowledged that it'd be incredibly difficult to run for the White House as a current or former House member — James Garfield was successful way back in 1880. And Bacon said he's not sure his brand of Republicanism — Reaganism and a muscular view of foreign policy — can ever make a full comeback in the party, though he said he will continue making the case for it. 'I don't think it would be very easily done,' he said. 'All I know is I have a heart to serve our country, and I have a vision.' Defense secretary is another option 'if God opens up that door,' he said, though he's not sure a Republican president would nominate him. He said he would not run against incumbent Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a fellow Republican and close friend who took office in 2023. Bacon's retirement from Congress is notable because he is one of the few sitting Republicans on Capitol Hill who have been willing to publicly criticize President Donald Trump, who has a reputation for retaliating against his enemies and ending their political careers. Bacon's announcement came just a day after another Republican who's clashed with Trump, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, said he wouldn't seek re-election in 2026. The pair of retirements came as both Tillis and Bacon were preparing to vote on Trump's mammoth domestic policy package — what the president calls his 'big, beautiful bill' — as both lawmakers expressed concerns about Medicaid cuts in the package. Tillis voted against it; Bacon voted for it. But in the interview, Bacon insisted that neither the public feuds with Trump nor the violent threats he and his wife have faced had any impact on his decision to leave Congress. First elected alongside Trump in 2016, Bacon represents a swing district that includes Omaha and rural areas to the west; in 2024, Democrat Kamala Harris beat Trump in the district by 4.6 percentage points, while Bacon prevailed over his Democratic challenger, Tony Vargas, 50.9% to 49.1%. Bacon lamented that running in a tough battleground district every two years was an exhausting endeavor, and that he didn't have 'the fire in my belly' to win a sixth race. 'This job requires a 14-hour day during the week, Saturdays, parades and a variety of things, and Sunday sometimes. And do I want to do this for two more years? I just didn't have the hunger to want to work at that intensity level,' said Bacon, who has a large pig figurine sitting on his desk. 'And my wife has wanted me to come home. I'm gone to D.C. four days a week, and I have a chance to be home now seven days a week, and I have eight grandkids within 10 minutes of my house.' Bacon said he thinks he could have won re-election had he run, even though the party that controls the White House typically loses House seats in a president's first midterm election. On top of that, Democrats are salivating at the chance to attack Republicans for voting for Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which slashes Medicaid benefits that are critical to districts like Bacon's. A Nebraska rural hospital said Thursday it would close in the coming months due to looming Medicaid cuts. Bacon argued the legislation had not taken effect yet and that it included $50 billion for rural hospitals. He said he had to weigh the pros and cons in the bill; he decided that extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts and boosting military and border funding outweighed any negative impacts. 'There's some things I wish were better,' he said. 'But am I going to vote to raise taxes on middle-class Americans? I'm not.' On the day of the interview, NBC News and other outlets reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine amid concerns about the U.S. military's stockpiles. Bacon, who has a photograph on the wall of him meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has consistently been critical of Trump's handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his 'appeasement' of Putin. Whoever ordered the weapons pause should be fired, Bacon said. 'If Ukraine falls, the world's a more dangerous place. I really don't understand why President Trump doesn't see that. And if Ukraine goes down, Moldova will definitely fall. I think Georgia is in trouble,' said Bacon, a retired brigadier general who did four tours of duty in Iraq and also spent time in Afghanistan. 'President Trump has done worse than Biden [on Ukraine], and I'm embarrassed to say that,' he continued. 'I don't like it. He seems to have a blind spot with Putin. I don't know what purpose it serves to withhold weapons to Ukraine and not see that Putin is the invader.' 'I do believe that if I was the president,' Bacon said, 'I'd be trying to provide Ukraine with every weapon they needed to convince Putin he has no chance to win.' Bacon said he was a big fan of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley when she ran for president in 2024, and he likes Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential candidates in 2028. Asked about JD Vance, who famously dressed down Zelenskyy at a White House meeting in February, Bacon suggested the vice president needed to take a tougher stance toward Moscow. 'He's a contender. I like him personally, but I wish he saw the Russian threat a little better,' Bacon said. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- 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
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
