By james art 
OMAHA, Nebraska – Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) was relaxed, mingling with supporters and reconnecting with close friends in a small back room at Johnny’s Cafe in a city that has become an unlikely epicenter of 2024.
Dozens of voters exchanged pleasantries and took pictures with each other as they grabbed drinks from the bar, piled their plates with food and tucked into the booths and tables scattered around the room. They were there to support Bacon in the final stretch of his campaign as he fights for his political life in a district that could determine who controls the House and even the presidency.
But Wednesday’s pleasant gathering in the Midwest also represented a test of whether a more centrist Republican who is not a staunch supporter of Donald Trump can survive in today’s politics.
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As Bacon made the rounds greeting supporters, he was joined by Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), who traveled more than 1,000 miles to campaign for the Nebraska incumbent before Nov. 5. Gonzalez is just the latest of several GOP lawmakers and party leaders to campaign for Bacon as a contender for another term in the swing district.
“It’s very simple why I’m here,” Gonzalez told the crowd. “We have a country to save and we need General Don Bacon to save that country.”
The race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is one of the most competitive elections of the 2024 cycle. The race was originally rated as a toss-up in the months leading up to Nov. 5, before the nonpartisan Prepare a political report moved it to “Lean Democrat” just four days before Election Day.
The district, which covers much of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, has long been considered a blue spot in a deep red state, putting Bacon at risk as he fights for another term.
Despite being an overwhelmingly blue district, Bacon has been able to repeatedly defeat his Democratic opponents since he was first elected in 2017 — even as President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump there in 2020.
Nebraska operates on the congressional district method, which means the state allocates two electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state popular vote and then awards one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each congressional district. As a result, Bacon’s 2nd Congressional District holds one of the most coveted electoral votes in the country, as it can have a huge impact on who wins not only the House, but also the presidential race.
As a result, the district is receiving increased attention as Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to sweep the Electoral College vote and boost voter turnout, something Bacon’s Democratic challenger hopes to use to his advantage.
“Earth energy is real,” said state Sen. Tony Vargas (D-NE). Washington Examiner. “The motivation is real. People are excited.”
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It doesn’t help that Bacon faces a unique paradox in the evenly divided district: The Republican president must convince independents and even some Democrats to support his candidacy while running on the same ticket as Trump, who trails Harris in the polls in 2 th district.
Vargas hopes to connect Bacon with Trump, accusing the GOP incumbent of being “unwilling and unable to stand up to his own party when there are disagreements.” Vargas specifically pointed to the bipartisan border bill that failed to pass the Senate last year after Trump came out in opposition.
“The main reason for not leaving the Senate [and] didn’t move in the House because Donald Trump told members of his party not to address this border security issue because it’s politically expedient,” Vargas said. “And everybody lined up, including Don Bacon.”
But while Bacon must rely on Trump to motivate Republican turnout in his district, the GOP incumbent has tried to distance himself from the former president in some way.
Bacon recalled a time when a former Omaha mayor challenged him on his support for Trump’s candidacy, asking, “How can you vote for a guy like Trump?”
“It wasn’t my choice. I think I’d prefer Nikki Haley [or] Tim Scott. In 2016 I was a [Sen. Marco] Rubio man, you know, so it’s not my choice,” Bacon told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “But that’s the choice we have … I told the mayor that everyone has the right to vote for what motivates them the most. Everyone has different priorities.”
For him, Bacon said his priorities include immigration, the economy and foreign policy — areas he believes Trump has done better than the Biden-Harris administration.
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Bacon also relies heavily on his voting record, pointing to reports that show him as one of the top 10 bipartisan members of the House. That makes him best qualified to represent the district, he said, because the 2nd District is rated as evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, according to Prepare a political report.
Bacon cited support for Biden’s infrastructure bill and increased protections for DACA recipients, as well as his vote to certify the 2020 election results despite some Republican opposition.
“That’s probably a red line for a lot of Democrats right there,” Bacon said of his certification vote. “I have a lot of those voices that I think people recognize” as bipartisan.
That vote result, Bacon hopes, will draw the Democratic support he needs to achieve victory.
And so far, he’s worked on some key Democratic figures — like Anne Ashford, who ran against Vargas in the Democratic primary but has since backed Bacon in the general election.
“What made me say that I absolutely wanted to support him is my realization of how much we need him,” said Ashford, who said she would vote for Harris in the presidential election. Washington Examiner. “What you should be looking at is the person and their achievements and what they can do for your area first and for the country second. And Don has that.
Still, Bacon must contend with the reputation of some of his far-right colleagues in the House, who are known for rebelling against GOP leadership and voting against several key pieces of legislation. That has led to Republican leaders relying on Democratic votes and accusations that the GOP can’t run the chamber on its own.
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“Don Bacon and the rest of the Republicans in leadership … can’t get things done,” Vargas said. “They can’t lead on the most pressing issues when they have the opportunity.” They’re really failing to address border security issues and they can’t really get anything done without the Democrats coming down the aisle to work on things.
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Bacon and other GOP lawmakers rejected that characterization, arguing that both parties in both chambers were to blame.
“It’s not just House Republicans, it’s Senate Democrats, it’s House Democrats, it’s Senate Republicans, it’s everybody,” Gonzalez told Washington Examiner at a campaign event for Bacon on Wednesday. “It’s not necessarily one member’s fault, if you will, but you have to have more members who really want to solve problems … Don Bacon is the guy who really wants to solve problems.”