Latest news with #OmahaCityCouncil
The Hill
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Omaha city councilman launches bid for Bacon seat in House
Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding has launched a bid for Rep. Don Bacon's (R-Neb.) seat. 'I'm running for Congress because I'm choosing to fight for America's future, to make America more like its heartland, and to make the next 250 years a new golden age for America,' Harding said in a video posted to the social platform X on Tuesday. 'We have so much momentum, and together, we have so much more to accomplish,' he added. According to the Nebraska Examiner, 2017 marked Harding's start on the Omaha city council. He was also former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub's chief of staff and director of economic development. Bacon announced Monday he would not seek reelection next year, making space for a race that is likely to be competitive in 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 Nebraska Republican said in a prior 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,' he added.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Omaha City Council VP Brinker Harding jumps into Nebraska 2nd District U.S. House race
Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding is the first Republican to announce a bid on the GOP side after U.S. Rep. Don Bacon confirmed Monday he would not seek reelection in 2026. (Courtesy of Harding campaign) LINCOLN — Republican Omaha City Council Vice President Brinker Harding jumped into Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District race Tuesday to be the GOP nominee. 'I'm running for Congress to make America more like its heartland,' Harding said. 'I want to take those good things we do in Omaha, like balancing the budget, [having] record low crime, [and] a strong economy and take that to Washington and be successful.' He is the first Republican to announce a bid on the GOP side after U.S. Rep. Don Bacon confirmed Monday he would not seek reelection in 2026 — with more expected in the coming weeks. Harding has been a part of the Omaha City Council since 2017 after serving as chief of staff and director of economic development for former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub, highlighting city projects like the Dodge Expressway and Riverfront Parks. The councilman touted having cut the property tax levy three times. Harding's campaign set four pillars: Restore America, Grow America, Secure America and Renew America. His campaign says he wants to 'stop reckless spending that fuels inflation and threatens Social Security & Medicare.' It also says he wants to 'cut taxes for working families and small businesses,' 'finish the wall and enforce immigration laws' and 'reignite faith in the American Dream for the next generation.' He said he built his platform to broadly appeal to Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisans. 'Who wouldn't be for those good-paying jobs or growing the economy?' Harding asked. But Harding said his first focus is on winning the GOP primary and securing the nomination. Harding said he would probably be like Bacon in 'many ways,' but they have differences of opinion on many issues, saying he persuaded a Democrat to back him for a leadership role on the council. 'I appeal to a broad spectrum and factions of the party,' Harding told the Examiner. 'But at the same time, I don't sell out my values to gain that support.' His campaign rolled out a launch video Tuesday that nods to President Donald Trump's campaign slogans, including making sure the next 250 years of America is a 'new golden age.' The video also mentions the recent Los Angeles protests over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the city and the recent winner of the New York Democratic mayoral primary — self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. 'What do we want our next 250 years to look like?' Harding asked. 'Do we want to be California or New York … or do we want to be more like America's heartland?' Nebraska U.S Rep. Don Bacon announces he won't run again in NE-02 Harding's announcement touted high-profile endorsements from U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a close friend of Bacon's, former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a fellow former Daub staffer, and State Sen. Kathleen Kauth, a Millard-area conservative who might be in line to run for speaker of the Legislature. He also has the endorsement of Daub, who represented the 2nd District in the 1980s. Harding emphasized his long roots in NE-02, which includes all of Douglas and Saunders Counties and parts of suburban Sarpy County. The district is the state's most politically diverse and competitive — and could prove one of Congress' most expensive races in the 2026 midterms. Other Republicans considering bids include former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Bacon's 2024 GOP primary challenger, Dan Frei and former chairman of the Nebraska Federation of Young Republicans, Chris Chappelear. A group of Democrats is already jockeying for the nomination. Omaha political action committee co-founder and business owner Denise Powell and State Sen. John Cavanaugh have announced bids. Democrats Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis also are running. Another potential Democratic candidate, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades, has said she is considering a House bid. Harding expressed confidence in his ability to win the primary, partly because he has spent weeks assembling an experienced team that includes political and campaign veterans who have worked with Bacon and Fischer. 'We will be the hardest working, the most organized, and we will win, not only the primary, but we will win the general election come next November,' Harding said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers hear pros and cons to changing Omaha city elections schedule
Voters participate in Nebraska's May primary election. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A former Omaha mayor and an Omaha City Council lobbyist objected Thursday to a measure seeking to change the city's local elections to coincide with statewide presidential elections. State Sen. John Cavanaugh, also from Omaha, Nebraska's largest city, proposed Legislative Bill 19. During the public hearing on the bill before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, Cavanaugh said that adding city races to the statewide ballot beginning in 2028 would save taxpayers significant expense by not having to conduct separate elections. He expects such a shift would increase Omaha voter participation, calling current city elections 'typically low-turnout affairs' due partly to voter fatigue from November elections. Cavanaugh contends furthermore that the city's current spring election schedule, an April primary and May general, offers an edge to incumbent office-holders. 'An election which minimizes voter participation serves only to benefit those who are already participating, a narrow group of special interests who can disproportionately influence not only the outcome of the elections but also outcomes in government,' he said. Cavanaugh said he understood that some would argue he proposed the change for partisan advantage, but that he has heard from Democrats who oppose shifting city elections and Republicans who support moving them. Dave Richardson, a retired school teacher, spoke in favor of the Cavanaugh proposal, predicting it would lead to greater public participation in selecting Omaha's leadership. He said that while poll workers see the duty as a 'labor of love,' having four elections in a year can be a strain. First up to oppose LB 19 was Jim Suttle, a Democrat who served on the Omaha City Council before being elected Omaha mayor in 2009. He argued that adding Omaha elections to the statewide ballot would diminish the significance and attention to local races. 'If you move this to the fall, the city election will not be the A election, it will be the C-level election on that ballot,' he said. He believes Omaha candidates would face too much competition in raising funds and securing volunteers, leading to 'just oodles and oodles of difficulties.' Over time, Suttle contends, those running for Omaha city offices would have to self-fund elections, squeezing out all but 'the wealthy.' Of voter participation, he asserts that the bill won't 'help one iota' because 'we're a country that's so self-absorbed we don't really appreciate the luxury.' Sean Kelley, a lobbyist for the Omaha City Council, said the bipartisan panel he represents has not seen 'huge clamoring' to shift to a statewide general election calendar. He said city elections could get short shrift. 'It would really be hard to break through the noise.' Kelley said Omaha City Council members also object to what would be a disruption of a term if the change occurred — something Cavanaugh called 'growing pains of transition.' While his proposal did not address other cities, Cavanaugh suggested that the concept could be broadened to other cities such as Lincoln if support existed. Of people who submitted written comments on the bill, 15 supported the Cavanaugh bill and 17 were opposed. The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee did not take any action on advancing the bill to the full Legislature. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
