Denise Powell, candidate for the Democratic nomination to the Home of Representatives in Nebraska’s second district, proper, hugs pollster Madeline Conway throughout an election night time watch social gathering Wednesday in Omaha, Neb.
Rebecca S. Gratz/AP
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Rebecca S. Gratz/AP
Political organizer Denise Powell has defeated State Sen. John Cavanaugh to win the Democratic major in the race for Nebraska’s second congressional district, based on a race name by the Related Press on Wednesday.
With the race too near name as polls closed Tuesday night time, Powell in the end defeated Cavanaugh by about 2 proportion factors with 89 % of votes counted up to now, based on estimates from the AP Wednesday night. That margin might change because the remaining ballots within the race are counted.
Powell will go on to face the Republican nominee Brinker Harding who’s endorsed by President Trump.
The race for the state’s second congressional district is carefully watched as a result of the last word winner might assist resolve which social gathering controls the narrowly divided U.S. Home after this yr’s midterm elections.
The Democratic major attracted greater than $5.6 million in exterior advert spending, based on a evaluate of Federal Election Fee filings by Nebraska Public Media.
The second district, which incorporates the Omaha space, is named the “blue dot” as a result of it was the lone Nebraska district to vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 and Joe Biden in 2020. It’s at present represented by Republican Don Bacon, who’s retiring. Democrats see the seat as a chief pickup alternative.

Powell’s win helps keep away from a situation that some Nebraska Democrats had been dreading. Had Cavanaugh gained, the state’s Republican governor would have been in a position to appoint a alternative to complete his time period, which ends in 2028.
Republicans already maintain a supermajority within the Nebraska legislature, however some Democrats frightened that shedding a seat in a dependable district would have helped the GOP change how the state awards its electoral votes for president.
Nebraska is one in all two states, the opposite being Maine, that doesn’t use a winner-take-all method when awarding electoral votes. Fairly, it awards an Electoral Faculty vote to the successful presidential candidate in every particular person congressional district. In a detailed race, many Democrats concern the lack of the blue dot might show pivotal.

