Denise Powell has won the Democratic primary in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, setting up a fall matchup that Democrats and Republicans both view as a test of the party line in a district that can lean blue in presidential years. Powell, a political activist, defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a race that was too close to call early Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
The Omaha-area district is centered on the fact that Nebraska splits its electoral votes, making the 2nd District a national focus every four years in presidential contests. AP reported that the district has voted for Democratic presidential candidates three times out of five since 2008, even as the rest of the state has leaned Republican.
For the primary itself, AP said Powell led Cavanaugh by 2.1 percentage points—1,080 votes—out of more than 51,000 votes counted. AP said the race was called after Douglas County election officials reported 5,125 outstanding mail-in ballots in the Democratic primary and 830 provisional ballots from all parties, noting that even if those ballots were added to the Democratic total, Cavanaugh would have needed to win them by about 18 percentage points over Powell.
AP also reported that Cavanaugh trailed in all three counties in the district, with Douglas County accounting for about 93% of the votes. With those results, Cavanaugh’s path to overturning Powell’s lead narrowed substantially ahead of the final call.
Powell will now face Brinker Harding, an Omaha City Council member endorsed by President Donald Trump. AP reported that Harding ran unopposed in Tuesday’s GOP primary, a setup that creates a general-election contest expected to draw significant attention because Republicans are defending a seat currently held by Don Bacon, who is retiring.
Powell described the next stretch as a fight for voters in her victory statement. “This country and Nebraska are worth fighting for — and I’m ready to spend the next six months working for every vote and sharing my vision for Nebraska so we can finally have a representative in Congress who will serve us,” Powell said in a statement. She added, “It’s time to be brave.”
Democrats’ strategy for the seat also carries a political calculation tied to Nebraska’s electoral rules and the “blue dot” label. Some Democratic critics argued that a Cavanaugh primary win would have jeopardized the district’s “blue dot” status because he would be leaving his state legislative seat, which they said could make it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.
On the Republican side, AP reported that the Nebraska GOP said it expects to fight back against a “radical left” that, the party said, has poured money into the state. In a statement, Nebraska GOP chairman Mary Jane Truemper said, “The left wants Nebraska, and we are going to make sure they don’t get it.”
This fall’s House election comes as Democrats pursue gains that would help them take control of the chamber for the second half of President Donald Trump’s term. AP also noted that the district backed Democrat Kamala Harris for president in 2024 while electing a Republican representative, and it said Trump won the district in 2016.
Powell’s campaign has drawn support from political organizations including EMILY’s List and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s campaign operation, AP reported. AP also said Powell is Latina and co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, and that she has spent a decade in Democratic political activism, while emphasizing outreach to independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district’s electorate.