Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

Elections in Nebraska, 2020

• Election date: Nov. 3
• Registration deadline(s): Oct. 23 (in person); Oct. 16 (online; by mail)
• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Recount laws

• Early voting starts: Oct. 5
• Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (received)
• Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
• Voter ID: No ID
• Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Central time zone); 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain time zone)

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State executive offices • State Senate • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls

2022 → ← 2018
Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 2, 2020
Primary: May 12, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Don Bacon (Republican)
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) Voting in Nebraska
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd Nebraska elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Incumbent Don Bacon (R) defeated Kara Eastman (D) and Tyler Schaeffer (L) in the general election for the 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska on November 3, 2020.

The race was one of 56 U.S. House rematches from 2018. In 2018, Bacon defeated Eastman, receiving 51% of the vote to Eastman's 49%. Bacon defeated incumbent Brad Ashford (D) in 2016, 49% to 48%.

On October 7, Roll Call listed Bacon as the 2020 election cycle's most vulnerable representative, citing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's 7-point lead in a recent poll of the district's voters and spending by national Democrats. As of October 8, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee had each spent $1.2 million in the district.

The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District is located in the eastern portion of the state and includes Douglas County and part of Sarpy County.

This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2020 battlegrounds included:

Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (September 8 Republican primary) Washington gubernatorial election, 2020 (August 4 top-two primary)

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, 2020
Race	Presidential	U.S. House
Democratic candidate	52.3	46.2
Republican candidate	45.7	50.8
Difference	6.6	4.6

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Nebraska modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in ballots were sent to all registered voters in the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Incumbent Don Bacon defeated Kara Eastman and Tyler Schaeffer 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
	Submit photo	Tyler Schaeffer (L)	3.0	10,185

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Kara Eastman defeated Ann Ashford and Gladys Harrison 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
	Submit photo	Gladys Harrison	6.7	4,920

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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 election

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Incumbent Don Bacon defeated Paul Anderson in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Don Bacon	90.6	68,531
	Submit photo	Paul Anderson	9.4	7,106

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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 primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Tyler Schaeffer advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Tyler Schaeffer	100.0	964

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Don Bacon

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

U.S. House (Assumed office: 2017)

Biography:  Bacon received a degree in political science from Northern Illinois University and master's degrees from the University of Phoenix and the National War College. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1985 to 2014 and retired as a Brigadier General. Bacon served as an assistant professor at Bellevue University, where he taught courses on leadership and American values. In 2009, he was selected as Europe’s top Air Force Wing Commander. Bacon also worked for Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) as his military advisor.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Bacon's campaign ads said he had one of the most bipartisan records and that his accomplishments included combating extremism, standing for law enforcement and supporting better training, passing a bill to manufacture more masks, and securing funding for low-income housing.

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Bacon said, "I believe there’s enough anger and hate in Washington, D.C. I believe in a better way. We can disagree without being disrespectful, we can stand up for our beliefs and defend the right of others to do the same, and we can recognize that there is far more that unites us than divides us."

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Bacon said Eastman's healthcare plan was too extreme for Democrats and that his plan would improve healthcare by funding COVID-19 vaccine research and lowering drug costs and premiums.

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Show sources

Sources: Don Bacon's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 30, 2020; YouTube, "Don Bacon, Videos," accessed September 30, 2020; Don Bacon's 2020 campaign website, "About Don Bacon," accessed September 30, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 in 2020.

Kara Eastman

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors (2015-2019)

Biography:  Eastman received a bachelor's degree in sociology and English from Pitzer College and a master's in clinical social work from Loyola University. She founded the nonprofit Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance in 2006. Eastman was a board member of the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands and was an appointed member of the Mayor of Omaha's Fair Housing Advisory Board. As of the 2020 election, she was president of Kara Eastman Partners, a nonprofit consulting business.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Eastman emphasized her background in nonprofit work and on the Board of Governors of Metropolitan Community College, saying she served local communities by helping create housing for children, creating jobs, and strengthening nondiscrimination policies. 

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Eastman said she was running for Congress "because our healthcare is a mess. Politicians and special interests are only making it worse."

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Eastman said Bacon, along with Trump, supported tax cuts for billionaires, was too extreme, and wanted to cut Social Security and healthcare. She said Bacon received donations from drug and insurance industries and criticized him for saying "hell yes" to repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

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Show sources

Sources: Kara Eastman's 2020 campaign website, "Facts," accessed September 30, 2020; YouTube, "Kara Eastman, Videos," accessed September 30, 2020; Kara Eastman's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Kara," accessed September 30, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District 2020, general election polls
Poll	Date	Bacon	Eastman	Schaeffer	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
New York Times/Siena College	Sept. 25-27	45%	43%	3%	9%	± 5.3	420	--

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees. The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Don Bacon	Republican Party	$3,790,455	$3,755,144	$85,039	As of December 31, 2020
Kara Eastman	Democratic Party	$4,524,583	$4,578,199	$29,232	As of December 31, 2020
Tyler Schaeffer	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. 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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+4, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District the 204th most Republican nationally.

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.05. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.05 points toward that party.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 3, 2020	October 27, 2020	October 20, 2020	October 13, 2020
The Cook Political Report	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Democratic	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Toss-up	Toss-up	Lean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

• Don Bacon
• Kara Eastman

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement	Bacon (R)	Eastman (D)
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)	✔
Gov. Pete Ricketts (R)	✔
Sen./Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)		✔
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)		✔
State Sen. John McCollister (R)		✔
Individuals
Former 2nd District Rep. Brad Ashford (D)	✔
Former President Barack Obama (D)		✔
2020 Democratic presidential nominee/Former Vice President Joe Biden		✔
2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bob Krist	✔
Former Sen. (I-Conn.) and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman	✔
Former Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.)	✔
Former Nebraska Democratic Party Executive Director Barry Rubin	✔

Timeline

2020

• October 2020 (click to collapse)

  October

  • October 27, 2020: Bacon spoke at a rally President Donald Trump held in Omaha.

  • October 15, 2020: Campaign finance reports showed Eastman had raised $3,280,000 and Bacon had raised $3,220,000 through September 30.

  • October 12, 2020: 3 News Now and the Omaha World-Herald co-hosted a debate.

  • October 9, 2020: Republican state Sen. John McCollister endorsed Eastman. He said she wouldn't "buckle under any pressure from the Democrat Party." McCollister said Bacon was not independent or nonpartisan and that he voted in favor of Trump's policies more than 90% of the time.

  • October 7, 2020: Former Rep. Brad Ashford (D), who Bacon defeated in 2016, endorsed Bacon. Ashford said Bacon "demonstrated time and again ... that he will put people above party to find bipartisan solutions." Ashford also ran for the 2nd in 2018, losing the Democratic primary to Eastman.

• September 2020 (click to expand)

  September

  • September 27, 2020: A New York Times/Siena College poll showed Bacon with 45% and Eastman with 43%. The poll's margin of error was +/- 5.3 percentage points.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Don Bacon

Supporting Bacon

"Real Bipartisan Leadership" - Bacon ad, released October 23, 2020

"Hear from LaVon" - Bacon ad, released October 19, 2020

"Hell Yes" - Bacon ad, released October 12, 2020

"Angie" - Bacon ad, released September 30, 2020

"Nebraska Way" - Bacon ad, released September 22, 2020

"Tom and Vicki" - Bacon ad, released September 3, 2020

"A Safer Future" - Bacon ad, released July 30, 2020

"Leaders Step Forward" - Bacon ad, released July 16, 2020

Opposing Eastman

"Bullhorn" - Bacon ad, released October 6, 2020

"Too Progressive" - National Republican Congressional Committee/Bacon ad, released September 15, 2020

"Trust" - Bacon ad, released September 8, 2020

"Best Friends" - Bacon ad, released August 25, 2020

Kara Eastman

Opposing Bacon

"Kara Eastman for Congress" - Eastman ad, released August 15, 2020

"Don Bacon voted 'Hell Yes' to cutting Nebraskans' healthcare." - Eastman ad, released April 1, 2020

• Eastman campaign ad, released October 14, 2020

Satellite group ads

Opposing Eastman

"All Alone" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released October 27, 2020

"Beatles" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released September 24, 2020

"Very Very Expensive" - National Republican Congressional Committee ad, released September 22, 2020

Opposing Bacon

"Harder" - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad, released October 13, 2020

"Yes Yes Hell Yes" - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad, released September 17, 2020

"Truth About Bacon" - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad, released September 9, 2020

Debates and forums

October 12, 2020

3 News Now and the Omaha World-Herald co-hosted a debate. View the video here.

October 7, 2020

NET News hosted a debate. View the video here.

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Don Bacon

As of October 30, 2020, Bacon's campaign website did not contain a section detailing campaign themes.

His website RealBaconRecord.com featured videos discussing healthcare.

Bacon said upon filing for re-election in January 2020, "The 2020 election will have lasting repercussions for our district, state, and nation. ... I believe we can work together to find solutions to the issues we all care about, like lowering healthcare costs, strengthening our national security against growing threats, and reforming immigration. We share the same priorities, and our team has a great track record of success. I'm grateful for the chance to represent this district again."

Kara Eastman

Eastman’s campaign website stated the following:

“	HEALTHCARE I believe that healthcare is a human right and that no one in the United States should have to choose between seeking medical care and putting food on the table. Ninety-two percent of Americans favor lower prescription drug prices and over 70% favor importing medicine from Canada. The federal government is slated to spend over $34 trillion on healthcare over the next decade. Transforming our healthcare system would save the government over $2 trillion over that same period. It would increase efficiencies, reduce overhead costs, allow individuals to choose their provider instead of having to stay in network, eliminate premiums and deductibles, and free employers from having to administer healthcare plans. Priorities: We must dramatically cut drug prices and make sure that the U.S. pays no more for prescription drugs than other major countries. All Americans must have medical care and insurance. I believe we need to improve medical care for all seniors. JOBS AND THE ECONOMY We have a $2 trillion investment gap in infrastructure, and we must restore our global competitive advantage through public-private partnerships and large investments in infrastructure to provide well-paying jobs across our country. I fully support Davis-Bacon wages on these kinds of federal projects. We also must raise the minimum wage and continue to foster trades programs within our community college system. I support economic opportunities that combat climate change as a way to create great jobs locally and invest in energy efficient housing. We must expand lending opportunities from credit unions and lower interest rates to small businesses, especially those in blighted communities, which in turn create jobs. We must ensure that all our citizens can achieve the American dream. Priorities: We need to establish a livable wage for American workers. I support our unions, and I’m against so-called right to work laws, because they lower wages and hurt the collective bargaining power of unions. I favor expanding business and investment opportunities for people of color. IMMIGRATION NE-CD2 has over 100,000 immigrants who contribute to key sectors of our economy and help build the fabric of our diverse community. The current administration’s policies of separating families, imprisoning babies without access to basic needs, and rounding up hard-working immigrants is immoral and un-American. They are more concerned with scoring political points with their base than they are with border security. Now is the time for us to make significant investments in smart technology, work-force development, and foreign aid. Other solutions that transform our immigration system include hiring more immigration judges and fully staffing ports of entry. We must make law-abiding Dreamers citizens and ensure that immigrants who follow the law can earn a lawful presence in our country. INCOME INEQUALITY The World Bank puts our income inequality on par with some of the poorest and unequal nations in the world. This is dangerous for our economy and damaging to our collective sense of morality. The GOP Tax Plan was a clear hand-out to the very wealthy and large corporations that simply do not need welfare. It was shown to have raised taxes on the middle class and exempted those who can afford to pay their fair share - this is not fiscal responsibility. We need to ensure that all Americans have a livable wage, are not drowning in student loans and healthcare costs, have healthy, affordable housing, and have a way to care for their children while they go to work. We also need to regulate banks and Wall Street and tax financial transactions to help pay down our debt. Priorities: Social security should not be seen as an entitlement program; it’s an earned benefit. And it’s a system that people rely on for retirement, so the cap must be raised in the short term or simply eliminated. We need to get back to regulating banks and investment firms. With effective and targeted regulation, we’re able to generate revenue to pay down our debt, which is well over $20 trillion today. Then, corporations pay their fair share. VETERANS The Department of Veterans Affairs will have to serve well over 4 million veterans in the next 20 years. One trillion dollars of the costs of our post-9/11 wars are directly tied to healthcare for vets. I support ensuring the VA provides timely, high quality healthcare, including dental care, to veterans. I also support programs that address some of the unmet needs of veterans such as education, mental health, and housing. Priorities: I will work so that all of the vacancies at the VA are filled. We must ensure that the VA has the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals it requires to give veterans the care they need. I believe we must guarantee comprehensive dental care as a health care benefit to all former servicemembers. Because suicide is such a serious issue for our men and women in uniform, we should greatly expand access to VA mental health and suicide prevention services. WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND FAMILY ISSUES I trust women to make decisions about their own health and about their families, and I support the ideal of reproductive justice. I believe that access to birth control is a fundamental right of privacy in the United States. Pre-K schooling must be available to all, so that parents are able to provide their children with a quality early education. I also passionately support family leave and paid sick days as well as equal pay for women. In addition, there must be public and private investments in childcare to ensure these kinds of services are accessible to all. Priorities: We must ensure that family leave and paid sick days are a part of our economic system. I will champion pay equity for women. I will work tirelessly to address racial disparities in the American healthcare system. RESTORING OUR DEMOCRACY I support a government which is efficient and transparent. The current administration has too many ties to large corporations, not to mention business arrangements with some of our foreign adversaries. Similarly, my Republican opponent accepts a great deal of corporate PAC money from special interests. This is wrong, and I will not accept corporate PAC dollars. I also think “dark” money should not be allowed to corrupt our elections. Therefore, I stand against the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United. Gerrymandering must be ended, and citizen commissions should draw fair, non-partisan districts. Participation in our electoral democracy must be increased through automatic voter registration and by ending voter suppression tactics. Finally, I have seen how difficult it is for candidates who do not come from wealth to raise funds and want to move toward public funding of federal election campaigns. RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Read our Racial Justice Plan I have spent my career fighting for racial and social justice, running nonprofit organizations that center on empowering communities of color. In Omaha, I have focused my work on jobs creation and economic and community development, specifically in North and South Omaha. In Congress, I will work to repair the systemic inequalities people of color face in our district. This includes focusing on economic inequality, access to reliable transportation, healthy, affordable housing, debt-free education, and workforce development. This will also include reforming our criminal justice system by ending the school to prison pipeline, through bail reform and by the decriminalization of marijuana. EDUCATION I support debt-free tuition. This would lead to a dramatic lowering of costs for families making under $125,000 a year at all 4-yr. state colleges and universities. Community colleges should be accessible for everyone at virtually no cost (Tennessee already has pioneered this). In the short term, we must reduce student debt and challenge lenders who profit off student debt burden. Finally, I am against public funding of charter schools because they don’t uniformly outperform public schools, they aren’t all unionized, and oversight can be lax. Priorities: I believe education should not be defined by zip-code or socioeconomic status. I support creating debt-free college pathways and improving workforce development. I will work to expand the reach of existing Head Start programs so all children have access to public pre-K education. ENVIRONMENT Climate change is the number one moral and security threat our nation faces. We must reorient our environmental and economic policies to meet this incredible challenge and once again become a global leader in innovation and sustainability. Following the 2020 elections, we must get back into international agreements like the Paris Agreement and then aggressively update them to bring down carbon emissions. In the meantime, wind and solar must be harnessed as clean energy options, especially here in Nebraska. I will fight for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, getting to net-zero by 2040, and a 100% clean energy plan for America. Priorities: If we care about future generations, we must transition to a 100% clean and renewable energy economy by 2040. This means investments in wind, solar and geothermal energy and upgrading buildings, homes, and public transportation systems. We must retrain workers currently employed in the fossil fuel industry and invest in communities heavily impacted by the extraction economy so that no worker is left behind. At the same time, we will incentivize the creation of green jobs. We must make sure unions have a prominent seat at the table as new employment opportunities become available. FOREIGN POLICY There are many senior level cabinet positions and diplomatic posts that have never been filled under the current administration. This, combined with the lack of funding for the State Department, puts our national security at extreme risk. We must engage in negotiation, diplomacy and alliance building in order to prevent unnecessary conflict in the world. The Iraq War cost us more than $3 trillion; close to another $3 trillion has been spent in Afghanistan, and now the President has torn up the Iran Nuclear Deal which puts us in jeopardy of starting another unaffordable, unnecessary war. GUN SAFETY As a mom, I am outraged by the lack of movement we have seen in the country on this issue. Groups like the NRA have commandeered the discussion. This is a public health menace, and common-sense solutions are supported by 85 to 90% of Americans. Universal background checks, mandatory waiting periods, smart technology, age requirements, and a ban on the sale of weapons of war would help ensure our children are not gunned down in their schools or playgrounds. Priorities: The vast majority of private sales (including gun shows and online) must fall under the existing background check umbrella. We must end the gun show loophole. All gun purchases should be subject to the same background check standards. I support raising the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21 years old. We need to keep guns out of the hands of young people, and this is a good way to do it. FARMING/AGRICULTURE When in Washington, I will demand that the new tariffs be rescinded and that Congress determine economic policy as set out in the Constitution. Plus, I do not believe that our nation’s farmers, who are on the losing end of an unnecessary tariff war, should have to get paid off to fund an economic conflict with China. In Nebraska, where one in four of our jobs are in the $4-7 billion agricultural sector, producers of soybeans and other commodities are being used like pawns. Looking toward the future, we must invest in regenerative farming practices and ensure that all Nebraskans have access to high quality, nutritious food.	”
—Kara Eastman’s campaign website (2020)

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 93 Nebraska counties—1.08 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Thurston County, Nebraska	5.94%	13.91%	6.96%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Nebraska with 58.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1868 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican 82 percent of the time and Democratic 18 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican all five times.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in Nebraska. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 10 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 26.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 12 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 22.8 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 31.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 37 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state Senate District
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	35.00%	62.82%	R+27.8	25.56%	68.52%	R+43	R
2	34.70%	63.63%	R+28.9	28.10%	65.62%	R+37.5	R
3	39.04%	59.04%	R+20	36.88%	55.76%	R+18.9	D
4	33.37%	65.51%	R+32.1	37.83%	56.86%	R+19	R
5	56.53%	41.59%	D+14.9	53.64%	40.42%	D+13.2	D
6	44.02%	54.75%	R+10.7	49.08%	45.79%	D+3.3	R
7	63.42%	34.32%	D+29.1	63.88%	29.08%	D+34.8	D
8	61.53%	36.52%	D+25	63.44%	29.78%	D+33.7	D
9	58.49%	39.32%	D+19.2	61.55%	31.87%	D+29.7	D
10	45.04%	53.54%	R+8.5	44.08%	50.23%	R+6.1	I
11	91.12%	8.07%	D+83.1	85.83%	10.84%	D+75	I
12	43.61%	54.71%	R+11.1	42.37%	51.31%	R+8.9	R
13	64.84%	33.83%	D+31	61.33%	33.93%	D+27.4	D
14	37.62%	60.56%	R+22.9	36.43%	56.65%	R+20.2	R
15	38.07%	60.36%	R+22.3	29.77%	65.08%	R+35.3	D
16	31.13%	67.37%	R+36.2	23.45%	70.90%	R+47.4	R
17	43.76%	54.47%	R+10.7	33.78%	61.06%	R+27.3	R
18	44.60%	54.31%	R+9.7	45.14%	48.75%	R+3.6	R
19	25.28%	72.70%	R+47.4	19.05%	75.26%	R+56.2	R
20	42.76%	55.71%	R+13	45.35%	48.92%	R+3.6	R
21	46.85%	51.27%	R+4.4	40.87%	51.98%	R+11.1	R
22	23.32%	75.02%	R+51.7	18.05%	77.74%	R+59.7	R
23	31.22%	66.98%	R+35.8	23.17%	71.65%	R+48.5	R
24	26.29%	72.16%	R+45.9	20.95%	73.47%	R+52.5	R
25	38.80%	59.40%	R+20.6	41.24%	53.38%	R+12.1	R
26	52.21%	46.11%	D+6.1	46.82%	45.23%	D+1.6	D
27	52.75%	45.63%	D+7.1	50.52%	42.64%	D+7.9	D
28	60.87%	37.83%	D+23	59.15%	33.04%	D+26.1	D
29	47.69%	50.58%	R+2.9	49.38%	43.97%	D+5.4	D
30	38.34%	59.25%	R+20.9	31.53%	62.47%	R+30.9	R
31	33.78%	65.04%	R+31.3	36.93%	57.43%	R+20.5	D
32	35.71%	62.38%	R+26.7	27.09%	67.12%	R+40	L
33	31.50%	66.71%	R+35.2	24.02%	70.78%	R+46.8	R
34	27.77%	70.53%	R+42.8	20.10%	75.21%	R+55.1	R
35	39.62%	58.44%	R+18.8	33.52%	60.87%	R+27.3	D
36	24.72%	73.31%	R+48.6	19.26%	75.74%	R+56.5	R
37	28.68%	69.17%	R+40.5	24.94%	68.00%	R+43.1	R
38	23.21%	74.90%	R+51.7	15.08%	80.37%	R+65.3	R
39	29.09%	69.93%	R+40.8	31.42%	63.56%	R+32.1	R
40	22.84%	75.26%	R+52.4	14.16%	81.28%	R+67.1	R
41	23.54%	74.61%	R+51.1	14.72%	81.15%	R+66.4	R
42	28.61%	68.98%	R+40.4	18.33%	76.53%	R+58.2	R
43	23.14%	74.74%	R+51.6	14.87%	80.38%	R+65.5	R
44	18.45%	80.00%	R+61.6	12.02%	84.03%	R+72	R
45	40.96%	57.13%	R+16.2	37.00%	55.32%	R+18.3	D
46	60.88%	37.77%	D+23.1	53.57%	38.24%	D+15.3	D
47	21.99%	75.82%	R+53.8	13.60%	81.46%	R+67.9	R
48	30.41%	67.81%	R+37.4	22.76%	71.50%	R+48.7	R
49	34.76%	63.76%	R+29	34.09%	59.61%	R+25.5	R
Total	38.21%	60.08%	R+21.9	34.35%	59.89%	R+25.5	-
Source: Daily Kos

District election history

2018

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Incumbent Don Bacon defeated Kara Eastman in the general election for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Don Bacon (R)	51.0	126,715
		Kara Eastman (D)	49.0	121,770

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 248,485 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Kara Eastman defeated Brad Ashford in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kara Eastman	51.6	21,357
		Brad Ashford	48.4	19,998

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 41,355
= 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 election

Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2

Incumbent Don Bacon advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Nebraska District 2 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Don Bacon	100.0	33,852

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 33,852
= 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.

2016

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Don Bacon (R) defeated Democratic incumbent Brad Ashford and Steven Laird (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Bacon defeated Chip Maxwell to win the Republican primary, while Laird defeated Andy Shambaugh and Jeffrey Lynn Stein to win the Libertarian nomination. The primary elections took place on May 10, 2016.

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Don Bacon	48.9%	141,066
	Democratic	Brad Ashford Incumbent	47.7%	137,602
	Libertarian	Steven Laird	3.3%	9,640
Total Votes				288,308
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Don Bacon	66%	32,328
Chip Maxwell	34%	16,677
Total Votes		49,005
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 Libertarian Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steven Laird	46.2%	108
Andy Shambaugh	38%	89
Jeffrey Lynn Stein	15.8%	37
Total Votes		234
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

2014

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Brad Ashford (D) defeated incumbent Lee Terry (R) and Steven Laird (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Ashford	49%	83,872
	Republican	Lee Terry Incumbent	45.7%	78,157
	Libertarian	Steven Laird	5.3%	9,021
Total Votes				171,050
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska, 2020
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2020

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Nebraska's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Deb Fischer (R)

Pete Ricketts (R)

Representatives

District 1

Mike Flood (R)

District 2

Don Bacon (R)

District 3

Adrian Smith (R)

Republican Party (5)

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