Pete Buttigieg Campaigns for Denise Powell in Her Run for Congress in Nebraska’s Second District
by Matt Johnson
(Picture credit Matt Johnson)
OMAHA — Over 300 people gathered at Metro Community College’s south Omaha campus to see Pete Buttigieg, who made an appearance with Denise Powell in support of her run for Congress in Nebraska’s Second District.
Buttigieg is widely expected to run for president and has made numerous similar campaign stops around the country in support of other Democratic candidates for Congress, including Sarah Trone Garriott (U.S. House candidate in Iowa), Jamie Ager (Democratic nominee for NC-11), and Bob Brooks (Democratic congressional candidate in PA-7).
Red Meat for the Blue Dot
Nebraska’s Second Congressional District has had a bullseye for a Democratic flip on it ever since Don Bacon first claimed the seat in 2016. Powell was introduced by Democratic state party chair Jane Kleeb as well as Tony Vargas, who ran for the same seat in 2022 and 2024, losing twice to Don Bacon.
The event was political red meat for members of the “blue dot,” with speakers getting applause for proclaiming support for abortion and LGBTQ rights while denouncing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration at large, and the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” last year.
Powell also reiterated her political resume, which included raising money for Planned Parenthood, forming “Women Who Run” with her “dear friend” Leanne Prewitt, and supporting ballot initiatives for a minimum wage increase, paid sick leave, and medical cannabis.
And, of course, President Trump was a highlight of the event.
“Trump was reelected in 2024, and once again, I had that same sense of doom and terror worried for my kids, worried for my community, and I watched as this administration put its teeny little fingers into the cracks,” Powell said.
Harding in the Crosshairs
With President Trump’s current approval numbers hovering around 37%, both Powell and Buttigieg were eager to link Republican challenger Brinker Harding to the president.
“Brinker Harding has the gall to say that Trump is doing great things. He took that Trump endorsement proudly,” Powell told the crowd. “He has embraced the MAGA label. Yeah, he praised the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ even after it dumped thousands of our neighbors off their health insurance. He thinks this war in Iran—that is jacking up everyone’s gas prices, that is putting American and civilian lives at risk—he thinks this is great, going great.”
When Buttigieg got up to speak, he took a swipe at Harding by invoking the name of his potential congressional predecessor.
“Voters of this district aren’t looking to trade someone who went along with the president way too much of the time for someone who will go all the way off the cliff with him,” Buttigieg said. “At least Don Bacon, halfway, sort of sometimes, kind of stood up against that kind of thing. Not this guy—this guy is 100% attached to the toxic agenda.”
Republican challenger, Brinker Harding, will be bringing Mike Johnson to Omaha on Saturday, July 18, an event that Pete Buttigieg made sure to mention on stage.
“Brinker Harding invited Mike Johnson, none other than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to come down to Omaha in a few days to stump for him,” Buttigieg told the crowd. “Maybe while he’s here, Mike Johnson and Brinker Harding can explain why the Speaker spent four months actively blocking the release of the Epstein files.”
Winds of Change
Among the issues Buttigieg referenced was the problem of money in politics.
“There is not enough corporate dark money in the world to stop the American people when we speak with one voice,” Buttigieg said. “My personal view is, as long as they keep telling us that this Supreme Court is going to throw out any meaningful campaign finance rules, acts, and a constitutional amendment, maybe we ought to go ahead and put together that constitutional amendment to clear that up.”
Powell has been a large beneficiary of dark money in her race for Congress, with millions of PAC dollars pouring in to support her primary run — an edge that likely tipped the scales in her favor against John Cavanaugh.
As the Democratic Party has faced an influx to the left as Democratic socialist candidates have displaced establishment Democrats, Buttigieg seemed to acknowledge the changing political landscape.
“We had to recognize that the future wasn’t going to look like the past, that we had to be ready for something completely different,” he said. “And that we would do well to have a new generation step forward. So I’m mentioning all of that because I think our country right now, and frankly, my party right now, has to do some work to face the fact that there is no going back. We’ve got to look forward.”
On to November
Several Democratic candidates were among the crowd, including Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek (LD-4), Christy Knorr (LD-12), and Sarah Slattery (Secretary of State). Slattery and Ostidek gathered with dozens of other guests after the event to approach Buttigieg along the rope line, where he posed for selfies and autographs.
Powell is heading into the general election with strong political tailwinds, with prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi favoring her chance to flip the district by roughly 70-80% in recent trading.
The general election is on November 3, but early ballots can already be requested.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.