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Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District |
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| General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: Pending |
| Primary: May 12, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Central time zone); 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain time zone) |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd Nebraska elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Evangelos Argyrakis (D)  | ||
 | Kishla Askins (D) | |
 | John Cavanaugh (D) | |
| James Leuschen (D) | ||
 | Denise Powell (D) | |
 | Crystal Rhoades (D) | |
 | Brinker Harding (R) | |
 | Brett Lindstrom (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mark Johnston (D)
- Don Bacon (R)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
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Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I am a former Immigration Attorney, who is focused on immigration reform. I strongly believe that it is time for comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The issue has been put into the forefront by president Donald Trump and something has to be done to address the situation, including a pathway to US Citizenship."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Nebraska
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
| Collapse all
Fiscal conservatism
Champion for women’s rights, women are the key to our future, and I believe that we must protect women’s rights, including reproductive rights.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelos Argyrakis | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Kishla Askins | Democratic Party | $250,866 | $79,471 | $171,395 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| John Cavanaugh | Democratic Party | $330,505 | $132,654 | $197,851 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| James Leuschen | Democratic Party | $219,369 | $8,314 | $211,056 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Denise Powell | Democratic Party | $741,230 | $260,061 | $481,169 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Crystal Rhoades | Democratic Party | $50,710 | $27,598 | $23,112 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Brinker Harding | Republican Party | $561,528 | $123,698 | $437,830 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Brett Lindstrom | Republican Party | $286,958 | $10,838 | $276,120 | As of September 30, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Toss-up | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nebraska in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nebraska, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Nebraska | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | N/A | $1,740 | Incumbents: 2/17/2026, Non-incumbents: 3/2/2026 | Source |
| Nebraska | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 20% of registered voters in the district who voted for president in 2020, or 2,000, whichever is less | $1,740 | Incumbents: 2/17/2026, Non-incumbents: 3/2/2026 | Source |
Republican-held U.S. House district that Harris won
This is one of nine U.S. House districts Republicans are defending that Kamala Harris (D) won in 2024. The map below highlights those districts. Hover over or click a district to see information such as the incumbent and the presidential vote counts.
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Tony Vargas (D) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Don Bacon (R) | 50.9 | 160,198 |
 | Tony Vargas (D) | 49.1 | 154,369 | |
| Total votes: 314,567 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Tony Vargas (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Vargas | 100.0 | 39,038 |
| Total votes: 39,038 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Dan Frei (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 14, 2024.
| Total votes: 57,694 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Tony Vargas (D) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Don Bacon (R) | 51.3 | 112,663 |
| | Tony Vargas (D) | 48.7 | 106,807 | |
| Total votes: 219,470 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Tony Vargas (D) defeated Alisha Shelton (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Vargas | 68.6 | 31,930 |
 | Alisha Shelton | 31.4 | 14,585 | |
| Total votes: 46,515 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Steve Kuehl (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Don Bacon | 77.1 | 53,824 |
 | Steve Kuehl | 22.9 | 15,945 | |
| Total votes: 69,769 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Kara Eastman (D) and Tyler Schaeffer (L) in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Don Bacon (R) | 50.8 | 171,071 |
 | Kara Eastman (D) | 46.2 | 155,706 | |
| Tyler Schaeffer (L) | 3.0 | 10,185 | ||
| Total votes: 336,962 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Kara Eastman (D) defeated Ann Ashford (D) and Gladys Harrison (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 12, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kara Eastman | 62.2 | 45,953 |
 | Ann Ashford | 31.2 | 23,059 | |
| Gladys Harrison | 6.7 | 4,920 | ||
| Total votes: 73,932 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Morgann Freeman (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Paul Anderson (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 12, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Don Bacon | 90.6 | 68,531 |
| Paul Anderson | 9.4 | 7,106 | ||
| Total votes: 75,637 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian Party primary
Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2
Tyler Schaeffer (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 12, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tyler Schaeffer | 100.0 | 964 | |
| Total votes: 964 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+3. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Nebraska's 2nd the 189th most Democratic district nationally.[5]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  |
Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 52.0% | 47.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Nebraska, 2024
Nebraska presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 6 Democratic wins
- 27 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Nebraska's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Nebraska | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 3 | 5 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Nebraska's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Jim Pillen |
| Lieutenant Governor | Joe Kelly |
| Secretary of State | Bob Evnen |
| Attorney General | Mike Hilgers |
State legislature
Nebraska State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 33 | |
| Other | 2 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | |
Trifecta control
Nebraska Party Control: 1992-2025
Seven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
