Democrat Kishla Askins joins crowded field in 2nd Congressional District race
By Brian Beach 
, Reporter Nebraska Public Media
July 15, 2025, 3 p.m. ·
A Navy veteran and former deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs has thrown her hat in the ring for the 2nd Congressional District seat.
Kishla Askins announced her candidacy Tuesday and highlighted her military experience throughout a two-minute campaign launch video.
"The Americans I served with didn’t always look the same or vote the same, but we never wavered in our commitment to our country,” she said. “I know what sacrifice looks like, and I know what leadership requires. And I know Nebraskans deserve a real shot at the good life."
She also highlighted her commitment to expanding Offutt Air Force Base and said she would use her national security expertise to prepare the nation for a warming climate.
“In Washington, she’ll defend our health care and retirement benefits, grow our Air Force base and modernize our VA, and fight to make the good life an attainable reality for all Nebraskans,” said her launch video narrator.
Bud Pettigrew, who served as the Nebraska Democratic Party’s chair of chairs between 2008 and 2022, wrote in a post on Facebook that, “Kishla is by far the most qualified person to be our next Congress person from CD2.”
Askins joins a Democratic primary field that includes State Sen. John Cavanaugh, political action committee founder Denise Powell, retired eye surgeon Mark Johnston and immigration attorney Evangelos Argyrakis.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Don Bacon, who recently announced he would be leaving Congress at the end of his term.
Omaha City Council Vice President Brinker Harding and former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom have announced they will be running in the Republican primary.
Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, took aim at Askins.
“Biden alum Kishla Askins is the latest out-of-touch liberal to join the messy, expensive Democrat primary,” he said. “Nebraskans will once again reject whichever radical Democrat escapes their race to the left primary."
The primary election will take place next May.