Powell Pitches Nonpartisan Energy in CD-2 Primary Race
by John Gage
Democratic candidate Denise Powell said her work on nonpartisan issues entering 2026 sets her apart from fellow Democratic opponents in the race for Nebraska’s second congressional district.
“I think that the reason I am the best person to flip this seat is that I have done a ton of work in this state on issues that are really important to this state, and I have done them in a way that is nonpartisan,” Powell said in a Tuesday interview with the Dan Parsons Show. “And even the organization I founded, we’ve worked with women of all stars and stripes. We always say we want the best candidate for the job, the one that is the most qualified, the one that cares most deeply about the position they are running for. And I think that’s what people want.”
“I have friends and neighbors who I care about deeply who are members of another party. And I’m going to fight like hell for those friends and neighbors, too. And I think I have a track record of that,” she added. “That is the energy I am going to bring to this race, and I think it is the energy that people want and need.”
Powell touted her work advocating for public schools, healthcare, and paid sick leave that she said members of both parties could support. She added that it will take Democrats bringing nonpartisan energy to the race to win the seat in 2026 and beyond.
Powell is in a seven-way primary with State Sen. John Cavanaugh as well as Crystal Rhoades, Kishla Askins, Van Argyrakis, Melanie Williams, and James Lueschen. Internal polling from Powell’s opponents, Cavanaugh and Rhoades, shows her in third place with Cavanaugh and Rhoades in first and second.
A week ago, Powell released her first campaign ad, where she described herself as “one pissed off mom” who would “fight back against MAGA extremists.”
John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.
