State Sen. John Cavanaugh launches congressional campaign for 2nd District seat

State Sen. John Cavanaugh kicked off his bid to become the next congressman for Nebraska’s Second District Tuesday night.

The district, which includes all of Douglas and Saunders counties and the western part of Sarpy County, has been represented by Republican Don Bacon since 2017.

In a speech to several hundred supporters gathered at Omaha’s Firefighters Union Hall, Cavanaugh vowed to stand up to President Donald Trump and work to protect Medicaid, Social Security and public lands.

“Our Congress has failed in its most fundamental responsibility, to be an independent check on an independent branch of government and directly accountable and representative to the will of the people who elect them,” he said. “The chaos caused by Donald Trump and Elon Musk is making things harder for families like mine and yours.”

Cavanaugh touted his five years of experience in the Nebraska Legislature, where he has emerged as a leader in expanding access to medical marijuana.

“I've fought to protect access to reproductive health care. I've stood up for the rights of LGBTQ Nebraskans, I stopped regressive tax increases, and I've delivered meaningful tax cuts for families,” Cavanaugh said of his time in the Unicameral.

Several state senators who endorsed Cavanaugh attended Tuesday night’s event, including Victor Rountree, Ashlei Spivey, and Cavanaugh’s sister, Machaela Cavanaugh.

Rountree, who served with Cavanaugh on the Legislature’s General Affairs and Urban Affairs committees, said his endorsement comes from his firsthand experience with the senator.

“I've seen the quality of his work,” he said. “I've seen the standards that he stands upon, and he does have a heart for the people, and that's what we need. Someone who's not going to waver, but when the challenges come, he's going to be able to stand up to those challenges and do what's right for Nebraska.”

Cavanaugh will face a Democratic primary field that includes Denise Powell, who co-founded the Women Who Run political action committee, which campaigns for progressive women.

Powell has endorsements from South Omaha State Sens. Dunixi Guereca and Margo Juarez, as well as former State Sen. Tony Vargas, who unsuccessfully challenged Bacon in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

Bacon has not publicly indicated whether he will run for reelection, but the National Republican Congressional Committee has put out several statements criticizing the Democratic candidates.

Following the riots in Los Angeles over ICE raids, an NRCC spokesperson wrote, “Denise Powell and John Cavanaugh's Democrat Party is the party of lawlessness. Their leaders are spoiled elitists, their grassroots are violent anarchists, and Powell and Cavanaugh's silence proves they support this radical agenda.”

Primary elections will take place May 12, 2026, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 3 later that year.

The race is listed as a toss-up between Democrats and Republicans, according to the Cook Political Report.