Bacon, Vargas join Nebraska Public for District 2 debate
OMAHA — Voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District will have another chance to watch a debate between Republican Rep. Don Bacon and Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas.
Nebraska Public Media announced Wednesday that the candidates will participate in a debate live on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. from the public broadcaster’s new Ron Hull Studio in Lincoln.
Nebraska Public Media is hosting the debate in partnership with the Nebraska Examiner, the Omaha World-Herald, the Lincoln Star-Telegram and KRVN Rural Radio Network.
Nebraska Examiner political reporter Aaron Sandford will moderate the hour-long debate. He and other reporters from participating media outlets will ask questions of the candidates.
The same group hosted a similar debate Sunday in eastern Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District between Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood and Democratic state Sen. Carol Boo Ladd (Carol Blood).
Fierce competition is expected
The focus now shifts to what many political observers say is Nebraska’s closest federal race, a repeat of the 2022 U.S. House race that Bacon won by about 3 percentage points.
Omaha State Senator Tony Vargas. August 13, 2024.
Attacks have already occurred between Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general seeking a fifth term, and Vargas, a two-term state representative who served on the Omaha school board.
Bacon has positioned himself as a conservative willing to invest in national security and infrastructure spending.
He was one of 13 House Republicans who voted for a bipartisan infrastructure bill that he said would help Nebraska rebuild Eppley Airport as well as roads and bridges.
Democrats attack Bacon, saying he is more conservative than he likes to portray himself on many issues, particularly on reproductive rights and lowering health care costs.
Vargas has portrayed himself as a fiscally responsible Democrat who voted for tax cuts and property tax relief programs in the state’s Republican-led Legislature.
He also emphasized his willingness to work in Congress to preserve the Affordable Care Act, which former President Trump has said he wants to repeal and replace.
Republicans attack Vargas as a progressive who talks like a centrist but wants to reduce restrictions on abortion, impose higher taxes on the wealthy and increase government spending.
Problems that have occurred in NE-02
New attack ads from outside groups hint at the issues the two campaigns will tackle: attacking Vargas for his criminal justice reform and attacking Bacon for his opposition to abortion rights.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, arrives for a meeting with House Republican members at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on October 19, 2023 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Other ads and campaign statements indicate that Bacon and Vargas will highlight their differences on immigration, the cost of inflation, health care and the future of Social Security and Medicare.
Recent 2nd District left and right polls appear to suggest the race may remain within the margin of error, with some showing Bacon leading and others showing Vargas leading.
Vargas’ campaign argued that he could benefit from a presidential year in 2024. Bacon’s campaign pointed to his results in 2020, when he surpassed Trump in the district.
The Omaha-area seat was the last one won by a Democrat in Nebraska when former state Sen. Brad Ashford defeated then-U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford in 2014 Republican Lee Terry.
Redistricting that replaced parts of suburban Sarpy County with all of Sanders County’s rural and exurban areas could be a factor because the new areas vote Republican more frequently.
Much of Bacon’s turf in Papillion and La Vista was folded into the nearby 1st District during redistricting, while Douglas County remains majority Democratic and left-leaning independents location.
National Democrats see the race as a potential opportunity for the party to retake the House, while national Republicans have rallied to Bacon’s defense.
Polling places for the May 14 Nebraska primary are shown. (Aaron Sandford/Nebraska Examiner)
By the end of June, Bacon had raised $4.3 million and spent $2.1 million on the campaign, some of it targeting primary challengers to his right. Vargas raised $3.5 million and spent $1.1 million.
Both campaigns have more than $2 million in cash on hand, with Vargas at $2.5 million and Bacon at $2.2 million. Outside groups have spent more than $1 million on the race, According to OpenSecrets.org, It tracks federal campaign finance filings.
The first debate of the general election between Bacon and Vargas will be held at noon on October 4 at the Omaha Press Club. It will be hosted by the League of Women Voters and broadcast on WOWT.
The final debate will be held on October 16 at 6 p.m.
Only news agency debates will have a live audience.
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