John Cavanaugh clung to a narrow lead in the highly contested 2nd Congressional District primary Tuesday to advance to the general election.
The state senator is vying with Denise Powell and several other candidates to face lone Republican candidate Brinker Harding in November.
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Cavanaugh spoke to his supporters Tuesday night, awaiting more results with a lead of around 300 votes, saying America is in a crisis and calling for change.
“Donald Trump is corrupt and he’s abusing his position of power,” Cavanaugh said. “We need to hold him accountable. We need people in office who will actually do the work… That’s why I’m running for Congress, to build that movement of people who will go to Washington and hold this administration accountable and bring real reform.”
Powell was also in high spirits on election night, and thanked her supporters at an Omaha event.
“We are feeling so freaking good, and so incredibly grateful for this incredible crew, for all of the support, for all of the love, all of the hard work,” she said. “Those of you that went out there and knocked doors… kept us afloat over the last year. It has been the greatest honor of my life to have the chance to represent you all.”
The race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District started cordially but turned contentious in recent weeks as Democratic front runners Powell and Cavanaugh launched dueling negative ads.
A deluge of mailers, digital ads and TV spots from a Powell-aligned SuperPAC spread the message that a Cavanaugh win would put the future of the district’s “Blue Dot” at risk — an assertion Cavanaugh and his campaign vehemently denied.
Thomas Monaghan was one of several Cavanaugh supporters who attended the campaign celebration at Omaha’s Underwood Bar.
Monaghan said there was “no question” he’d support Cavanaugh’s campaign.
“If we do not win back the House, our country is in real trouble,” he said. “We need to win back the House. Cavanaugh is the only candidate in this district that can win, and that’s what we need. And he has leadership qualities that he’s learned in the Legislature that will help him in Congress.”
Another supporter, Dolores Bangert, said she’s been impressed with Cavanaugh’s representation as a state senator and wants to see him win the 2nd District seat.
“John is our representative now at the state of Nebraska and I felt when I took problems to him that he really responded and he thoroughly discussed the subject, and also put it in terms I think people can understand,” she said. “I appreciated that.”
If Cavanaugh wins, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen can appoint a replacement to complete his term, which ends in 2028. Pillen is expected to appoint a conservative representative in the reliably Democratic district. If no other seats in the Legislature flip from Republican to Democrat in November, that would solidify a filibuster-proof supermajority for Republicans.
This outcome is not a guarantee, however. It’s possible the general election will bring at least one new Democratic senator to the state legislature.
An ad launched by Cavanaugh’s campaign shortly before election day referred to Powell as “dark money Denise” and accused her of having “orchestrated secret donations for billionaires.”
Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district is seen as a key pickup for Democrats as they look to take control of Congress in November. Powell and Cavanaugh were among five Democrats running to face off against Omaha City Councilman Harding, who is the sole Republican in the race.
The Cook Political Report moved the race rating from toss-up to lean Democratic last year after incumbent Rep. Don Bacon announced his retirement.
Cavanaugh hails from a prominent Nebraska political family. His father, also named John Cavanaugh, was a Democratic Congressman who represented the 2nd District from 1977 until 1981. His sister, Machaela Cavanaugh, is also a state senator.
He’s an Omaha native who graduated from Creighton Prep High School before attending college at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He later received his law degree from Vermont Law School and worked as an assistant public defender in Douglas County.
Cavanaugh has said his “day one priority will be reversing the Trump health care cuts.” He has also highlighted state legislation to give tax credits to people who saw their health insurance costs go up due to changes to the Affordable Care Act.
Before starting her run for office, Powell worked as a communications and public relations executive at a variety of companies in Nebraska and elsewhere. She co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a nonprofit that recruits and supports women who run for public office across the state, in 2017. Powell took a leave of absence from her role at Women Who Run after announcing her Congressional bid.
Powell describes herself as a “mom, small business owner, public school champion, healthcare advocate and daughter of immigrants.”
Behind Cavanaugh/Powell was candidate Crystal Rhoades, Kishla Askins, Melanie Williams and Van Argyrakis.
Harding has served on the Omaha City Council since 2017, currently as council vice president. The father of two has deep ties to Omaha, both as a civil servant and as a local business leader. He previously served as chief of staff and director of economic development to Mayor Hal Daub.
His campaign messaging focuses on goals to “finish the wall and enforce immigration laws,” grow the economy, eliminate wasteful spending and “cut taxes for working families and small businesses.” Harding’s website criticizes the Biden Administration for allowing “10.3 million illegal immigrants to cross our borders.”
On Nov. 3, voters will decide who will fill the seat long held by moderate Republican Don Bacon.