Nebraska 2nd District candidates try to paint each other as extreme • Nebraska Examiner
Republicans call Powell ‘out of touch,’ as Dems point to Trump’s endorsement of Harding
Denise Powell speaking during a campaign event in Omaha on July 20, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — On a hot July day, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District Democratic nominee Denise Powell spoke alongside Rahm Emanuel, local union leaders and Premier-Midwest Beer & Beverage workers on strike to make the case for why the district should elect a Democrat for the first time in a decade.
“The momentum is huge … people are ready. They’re tired. They’re frustrated,” Powell said after her event. “I think Brinker (Harding, the GOP nominee) just keeps proving that he is not gonna be any better than what we have. … I think the choice is clear.”
As in other election cycles, Democrats — and election analysts — view the slightly red-leaning 2nd District as a pickup for the blue column to make gains in the U.S. House, as midterm elections often don’t go the way of the party that controls the Wh…