Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon has a challenger for his seat in 2022. Democrat Alisha Shelton announced her intention to run against District 2’s incumbent Republican in the upcoming midterms, the first Democrat to do so.
Shelton is a mental health counselor and said in a tweet Tuesday "I’m running because Nebraskans are being left behind. They need an advocate who will put them before special interests and partisanship. I was raised to always be there when someone needs help."
John Hibbing is a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and said it is likely Shelton won’t be Bacon’s only challenger...
“Well, it is a little bit of a rarity in Nebraska, and that that is a reasonably competitive seat. So, unlike a lot of the statewide races and congressional districts elsewhere and District 2 is one that the Democrats actually have a reasonable shot at. So, it's not surprising that there would be some interest. Be interesting to see who, besides Alicia Shelton,” Hibbing said.
No matter who ends up taking on Bacon, Hibbing warns that the incumbent is a strong candidate. To be successful, he believes any candidate will have to move closer the ideological center to counter Republican attempts to label Democrats as radical. He adds Democrats must also be wary of redistricting efforts that could give Bacon an advantage.