Democrats flip Nebraska seat held by Trump critic Don Bacon

Washington — Democrat Denise Powell flipped Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District, which is currently represented by retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon, CBS News projected. 

Powell, a political organizer, defeated Republican Brinker Harding, a member of the Omaha City Council. 

Bacon, who has criticized President Trump on issues like tariffs and the war between Russia and Ukraine, announced last year he would not run for a sixth term, giving Democrats a prime opportunity to flip the seat. Bacon narrowly won reelection in 2024. 

Though the Omaha-area district has been in GOP hands for all but two years in the last three decades, the district has voted for a Democrat in three of the last five presidential elections. The way Nebraska, a deep red state, allocates its Electoral College votes — by congressional district instead of winner-take-all — has put the district in the spotlight in presidential election years because that electoral vote could take on greater importance in a close race for the White House.