House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood alongside Democratic candidate Denise Powell in North Omaha on Wednesday, telling a crowd of a few dozen supporters that Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District is one of the most important House races in the country just days before the Nov. 3 election. The press conference and rally at the North Omaha Visitors Center came as Powell squares off against Republican nominee Brinker Harding in a contest both parties see as central to who controls Congress next year.
Jeffries told the crowd Democrats are three seats from flipping the House, and he credited Omaha with kicking off what he called a blue wave by electing Mayor John Ewing in 2025, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Jeffries said the blue wave would come back to Omaha and CD2, per the paper's account of the rally. He also said Nebraska's 2nd District is one of the country's most important House districts, a line that underscores why national Democratic leadership made the trip at all — Jeffries was scheduled to travel to Nebraska specifically for Powell's campaign, according to Punchbowl News.
Powell Pitches Herself as a Bridge-Builder, Not a Partisan
Powell, a communications consultant and founder of a political action committee supporting women candidates, called Jeffries the future speaker of the House during the event, per the Omaha World-Herald's reporting. She urged the crowd to hold on to hope and to keep talking about the election with friends, family and neighbors in the campaign's final days.
Throughout the race, Powell has worked to frame herself as someone who connects with voters over issues rather than partisanship. She has said she is not a Democratic socialist and does not agree with much of that platform, insisting she would support all Nebraskans rather than only members of her own party and would oppose anything she believes would hurt the state, according to the World-Herald. She has pointed to her past work on ballot initiatives to halt public funding for private school vouchers, raise the minimum wage and legalize medical cannabis as evidence of her approach.
On policy, Powell has said she supports extending the middle-class tax cuts enacted in 2017 and raising the Social Security income cap for earnings above $400,000, according to a fact-check from WOWT. She has also said she wants to reverse Medicaid cuts and restore reduced Affordable Care Act subsidies, telling Nebraska.tv, “I'm a big proponent in reversing those cuts.”
Jeffries Hits Trump, Tariffs and a Do-Nothing Congress
During the rally, Jeffries criticized President Donald Trump and what he called a do-nothing Congress for causing an affordability crisis, saying Americans should be able to work hard, follow the rules and thrive rather than barely survive, per the World-Herald. He called on Congress to reverse aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill, including Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts, and said lawmakers must extend Affordable Care Act tax credits to lower health care costs.
Jeffries also said Congress should end the president's tariff policy and the war of choice in Iran, and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be removed, according to the same report. He said Powell ran a hopeful campaign focused on a better future, and that he wants to work with leaders who serve their people rather than their party.
Harding, for his part, has pushed back on Jeffries' framing of the race. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon has said Powell is too liberal and out of line with most of Nebraska. Harding has described himself as his own person who disagrees with Trump on some policies, per the World-Herald. Trump has endorsed both Harding and, separately, tariffs and Argentinian beef. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon joined Harding at an event in Omaha. Bacon said Harding has worked across the aisle on the Omaha City Council, while Powell had not demonstrated the same willingness to compromise. Powell has called Harding a rubber stamp for Trump.
A District Both Parties Are Watching Closely
The open seat is up for grabs because Republican Rep. Don Bacon chose not to seek reelection after 10 years in Congress, according to Flatwater Free Press. The race, which also includes Libertarian candidate Eric Michael Foreman, has drawn national attention as one of the contests most likely to flip in a midterm election that could decide control of a nearly evenly split Congress. One week before Election Day, Punchbowl News reported that Democrats could very likely take control of the House, though the size of any majority remained uncertain.
Election analysts have offered differing snapshots of the race's trajectory. Flatwater Free Press reported that the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted their rating from leaning Democratic to likely Democratic, while an earlier account from the same outlet described both forecasters as rating the race leaning Democratic. Tax claims also figured in the race's closing days.
Money has also moved in the race's closing weeks. National Democratic and Republican super PACs scaled back advertising spending in the district and shifted funds elsewhere, according to NPR. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the campaign arm aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans, pulled back from its scheduled ad buy supporting Harding. Earlier in the cycle, Flatwater Free Press reported that the House Majority PAC had announced nearly $3 million in general-election ad buys to support Powell, while the Congressional Leadership Fund had reserved $2.2 million in advertising time.
A Historically Split District Heads Back to the Polls
Nebraska's 2nd District, covering Omaha and parts of surrounding rural counties, has a reputation for ticket-splitting. Registered Republicans hold a registration edge of 37.6% to Democrats' 34.1%, with nearly 30% of voters registered as independent or third-party, per Flatwater Free Press. The district was one of only three nationwide where a majority backed Democrat Kamala Harris for president in 2024 while also electing a Republican to Congress, and it has given its presidential electoral vote to Democrats three times — backing Barack Obama in 2008, Joe Biden in 2020 and Harris in 2024.
History also offers a caution against reading too much into early polling. In 2024, Bacon held off Democratic challenger Tony Vargas by less than two percentage points even though the race was rated leaning Democratic at the time, NPR reported. Early voting is already underway in Nebraska, with Election Day set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
