Democrats Warn Against Negative Ads in Crowded CD-2 Race
by Matt Johnson
OMAHA — Nebraska Democrats warned against potential negative advertising by Denise Powell in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District race. The warnings came a month after multiple internal polls by her opponents showed Powell polling in third in the seven-way Democratic primary.
The rumors of negative advertising went public on Friday when State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh shared on Facebook that Denise Powell was actively recruiting for a negative campaign ad to be filmed over the weekend. Cavanaugh is the sister of CD-2 candidate and State Sen. John Cavanaugh.
“Hearing rumors that Denise Powell is recruiting folks to film a negative commercial this weekend against other Democrats,” Cavanaugh said in her post. “That’s so sad — can’t you be positive Denise? We should be fighting Trump — not each other.”
Cavanaugh responded to comments that the rumor was untrue, “Denise Powell for Congress campaign has not corrected the record. And I have not seen anyone involved in the campaign saying this isn’t happening.”
Powell could not be reached for comment for the story.
Other Democrats were quick to respond online. Former Democratic Party chair Vince Powers posted on Twitter, “Powell has been running an excellent campaign, she would not jeopardize it by working to help the republican win in Nov by going negative vs a dem.”
Carol Blood, former state senator and current candidate for OPPD board, said in a now-deleted post on Twitter, “Even at the congressional level, we should expect better. Negative ads only drag our politics down. We deserve campaigns rooted in integrity, respect, and real ideas. Hope the rumor about this weekend’s filming is only a rumor.”
Machaela Cavanaugh said in a repost of Blood’s comment, “You always lead with integrity! I hope Dems aren’t doing republicans dirty work for them using Dem donors campaign contributions. If it is true - I hope supporters are outraged.”
While Democrats hope a new blue wave will flip the CD-2 seat this November, current tensions could further divide the party heading into the May 12, 2026, primary.
Nebraska’s second congressional seat, currently held by Don Bacon, has been increasingly the target of Democrats for a potential flip within Nebraska’s infamous “blue dot.” In recent elections, margins of victory for Bacon have grown increasingly slimmer, going from 2.6% in 2022 to 1.9% in 2024 over Democratic challenger Tony Vargas.
The Cook Political Report currently lists the district as Lean Democratic (with a Partisan Voting Index of D+3), and online betting sites like PredictIt have the odds of the seat flipping to Democrats listed as high as 84%.
Republicans, however, have consolidated behind a single candidate ahead of the primary—Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding. Democrats, in the meantime, have a primary split seven ways, with Cavanaugh and Powell as well as Crystal Rhoades, Kishla Askins, Van Argyrakis, Melanie Williams, and James Leuschen.
Powell, a veteran campaign fundraiser and founder of the Women Who Run PAC, currently leads in fundraising reports with $1.04 million raised in 2025.
Cavanaugh and Rhoades both say their polling shows they are one and two in the race. According to internal polling he released, Cavanaugh leads by a wide margin, expanding his lead to 28 points (43%) as undecided and less engaged voters start to consolidate around him in the race. Powell was third in the poll of 400 likely Democratic voters with only 9% of the vote.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.
