Democratic House primary in competitive Nebraska race remains too close to call

By Nolan D. McCaskill

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) – A Democratic primary election for a competitive U.S. House of Representatives seat in Nebraska remained too close to call on Wednesday, as activist Denise Powell narrowly led state senator John Cavanaugh. 

The Omaha-based seat is one of Democrats’ best opportunities to win a Republican-held seat in the 2026 November elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. 

With about 89% of votes tallied, Powell, a first-time candidate who cofounded the political action committee Women Who Run Nebraska, had 38.9% of the total, while Cavanaugh had 36.8%, according to the Associated Press.

The winner will face Brinker Harding, an Omaha city councilman who ran uncontested for the Republican nomination.

Nebraska typically backs Republican candidates, but the Omaha-area district has been trending Democratic. President Donald Trump won the statewide popular vote in 2024 by 20.5 percentage points, but Democrat Kamala Harris won the district that year, by 4.6 percentage points. 

It is one of three nationwide won by Harris that are currently represented by a Republican. With incumbent Republican Representative Don Bacon retiring, it is a top target for Democrats.

Republicans hold a narrow 217-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with five seats vacant.

Democrats would need to net three seats in November’s midterm elections to win control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.

Powell has run as a moderate, arguing she can better protect Democrats’ foothold in the Omaha area.

Cavanaugh, a progressive, has criticized Powell as “Dark Money Denise” for working with political groups that do not disclose their donors.

Harding has reported having more cash on hand than both Democratic contenders combined.

SENATE RACE DRAWS UNUSUAL FIELD

The state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate was handily won by a candidate, Cindy Burbank, who is expected to drop out to clear the way for an independent candidate, Dan Osborn. 

Osborn lost to Republican Senator Deb Fischer in 2024 by less than 7 percentage points, significantly outperforming Harris statewide and raising hopes among Democrats that Republican dominance in the state is not inevitable.

This year, Osborn will take on incumbent Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

NARROW HOUSE MAJORITY AT STAKE

The president’s party typically loses seats in the midterms, but Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps to preserve a majority in Congress.

Trump’s nudge launched a national redistricting war between the parties, which scrambled to carve advantages for their respective parties in states such as Texas, California, Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee.

Republican-led states across the South have also redrawn their maps after the Supreme Court’s recent decision gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling threatens once-protected majority-minority districts across the South.

(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Daniel Wallis)