Denise Powell wins Democratic primary for Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district : NPR
Denise Powell, candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in Nebraska’s second district, proper, hugs pollster Madeline Conway throughout an election night time watch occasion 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 primary in the race for Nebraska’s second congressional districtin response to a race name by the Associated 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 thus far, in response to estimates from the AP Wednesday night. That margin may 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 may assist determine which occasion controls the narrowly divided US House after this yr’s midterm elections.
The second district, which incorporates the Omaha space, is called 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 is at present represented by Republican Don Bacon, who’s retiring. Democrats see the seat as a first-rate pickup alternative.
Powell’s win helps keep away from a state of affairs that some Nebraska Democrats had been dreading. Had Cavanaugh received, 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 fearful that dropping 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 strategy when awarding electoral votes. Rather, it awards an Electoral College vote to the successful presidential candidate in every particular person congressional district. In an in depth race, many Democrats worry the lack of the blue dot may show pivotal.

