Nebraska’s ‘blue dot’ at the center of red-hot Democratic primary race

Nebraska takes its turn on the primary calendar Tuesday as voters settle a divisive Democratic congressional primary in a race that is poised to become one of the nation’s most competitive contests this fall that could help determine control of Congress.

It’s been a decade since Nebraska sent a Democrat to Congress, but Rep. Don Bacon’s decision to retire turned his Omaha-area district into a key November battleground. Bacon was one of only three Republicans in the country who won in a district that Kamala Harris also carried in 2024.

Yet talk of picking up a Republican seat in November largely took a back seat to a spirited Democratic primary over which candidate would protect – or imperil – the so-called blue dot, a feature of the state’s unique method of awarding electoral votes in presidential elections.

Two of the leading Democratic candidates in the race – state Sen. John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell – gained the most national attention as a multimillion-dollar advertising war over the fate of the blue dot, abortion rights and a handful of other issues dominated the conversation.

But voters also weighed the candidacies of four other rivals, including Crystal Rhoades, clerk of the Douglas County District Court endorsed by Omaha Mayor John Ewing, and Kishla Askins, a Navy veteran and former deputy assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs.