Twin anxieties are dominating Tuesday’s Democratic primary election for Nebraska’s “blue dot” House seat: whether a flood of outside money can swing a seat in Congress and whether that primary result could ultimately swing a presidential election.
A half-dozen outside groups and candidates’ campaigns are dumping more than $7 million into Nebraska ahead of the election, the most spending the state’s 2nd Congressional District has ever drawn in a Democratic primary. The vast majority of that cash has gone to boost Denise Powell, a first-time candidate who worked in Democratic politics, over state Sen. John Cavanaugh, who boasts deep roots in the district. The pair are the top two contenders for the now-open district Kamala Harris won by nearly 5 percentage points in 2024.
All that outside spending is now the focus in the race’s final days. And if the fact of the historic spending wasn’t enough to rile up the primary, there’s the nationally contentious issues the outside groups and candidates are training that money on: presidential elections and Israel. Pro-Powell groups, including EMILY’s List and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC, ding Cavanaugh for threatening the state’s “blue dot” status, should the GOP governor appoint his replacement in the state legislature. Cavanaugh’s closing TV ad hits Powell for being supported by “Trump-backed AIPAC money.”