Harding Sees Opening with Democratic Infighting in CD-2

by Matt Johnson

OMAHA – Brinker Harding, Omaha city councilman and candidate for Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district, said he sees an opportunity for his campaign following reports of Democratic candidates potentially going negative in the race.

“If I could, I might sit on my couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch them beat each other up and spend all their money,” Harding said Monday at an event in Omaha. “When they start at zero on May 13, with $0 in the bank account, and they’ve beaten each other so hard to get further and further to the left, that puts us in a better position to win.”

Harding anticipates the Democratic primary will become a “race to the left,” which he believes will benefit him in a “purple” district that has split down the middle in past elections.

“We’ve already got John Cavanaugh, who sought out the endorsement of the Progressive Caucus—and got it,” Harding said. “I don’t think the people of CD-2 want a representative caucusing with Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib.”

With many expecting 2026 to be an uphill battle for Republicans seeking to retain control of the U.S. House, Harding—for the moment—has room to breathe as he coasts through the Republican primary without a challenger. This stands in stark contrast to the crowded Democratic field, which now includes seven contenders.

Democrats Going Negative?

On Friday, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh shared a “rumor” on Facebook that Denise Powell, the primary opponent of her brother, State Sen. John Cavanaugh, was preparing to film a series of negative political ads over the weekend.

Other Democrats, including former Party Chair Vince Powers and former State Sen. Carol Blood, responded to the rumor, urging Powell not to go negative.

A source confirmed to The Plains Sentinel that the Powell campaign had rented the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, where she filmed campaign ads on Sunday.

The Scottish Rite Masonic Center is a historic Neoclassical Revival building constructed in 1914. It serves as a key headquarters for Scottish Rite Freemasonry in Nebraska and, while nonpartisan, functions as a rentable venue for events—including the filming of political ads.

The Powell campaign reportedly brought a full professional film crew to produce a series of ads on the stage at the venue. While it is not known whether any specifically targeted other Democratic candidates, including John Cavanaugh, one ad reportedly featured a Hispanic family expressing fear over ICE deportations.

Powell has not returned a comment on whether she plans to attack Democrats in her ads, as the rumor alleged. Multiple sources with close knowledge of the race told The Plains Sentinel that Powell will need to “go negative” if she plans on winning the primary.

Polling by Cavanaugh and Crystal Rhoades, who is also a candidate in the race, both show Powell in third place behind the other two candidates. 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.

Building the War Chest

Harding views his time as an unchallenged primary candidate as a prime opportunity to build his campaign funds for the general election in November.

“Even though I don’t have an opponent in the primary, we’re going to run even harder, because now is not the time to take our foot off the pedal,” Harding said. “This is the time to make hay. Any time we can raise a dollar that we don’t have to spend today, we use that toward the general election.”

— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.

(Picture credit Matt Johnson)