Donald Bacon
RDefeatedIncumbentFEC H6NE02125
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Raised this cycle$1.5M
Cash on hand: $464K
All Nebraska races
2026 race
NE-02 — U.S. House
9 active candidates on file with the FEC. Incumbent: Donald Bacon.
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See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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Democratic primary · Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Denise PowellWon38.7%
- DJohn CavanaughDefeated36.4%
- DCrystal RhoadesDefeated14.0%
- DKishla AskinsDefeated6.0%
Republican primary · Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Brinker HardingWon100.0%
Currently held by
Don Bacon (R) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election day
135days
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$7.0M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Denise Powell
DChallengerFEC H6NE02174
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Raised this cycle$1.6M
Cash on hand: $324K
Brinker Harding
RChallengerFEC H6NE02208
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Raised this cycle$1.3M
Cash on hand: $649K
6 defeated candidates — show
John Cavanaugh
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02190
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Raised this cycle$1.1M
Cash on hand: $159K
Kishla Askins
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02224
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Raised this cycle$584K
Cash on hand: $138K
James Leuschen
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02240
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Raised this cycle$390K
Cash on hand: $170K
Brett Lindstrom
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02216
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Raised this cycle$374K
Cash on hand: $150K
Crystal Rhoades
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02257
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Raised this cycle$173K
Cash on hand: $28K
Mark Edmund Johnston
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02166
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Raised this cycle$10K
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on NE-02 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Denise Powelllimited coverage
No tracked coverage in the last 90 days yet.
Brinker Hardinglimited coverage
No tracked coverage in the last 90 days yet.
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Total disclosed
$7.0M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$7.0M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$0
No outside spending reported yet.
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Denise Powell(D) | $1.6M | — | — | $1.6M |
Brinker Harding(R) | $1.3M | — | — | $1.3M |
7 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Donald Bacon(R)incumbentdefeated | $1.5M | — | — | $1.5M |
John Cavanaugh(D)defeated | $1.1M | — | — | $1.1M |
Kishla Askins(D)defeated | $584K | — | — | $584K |
James Leuschen(D)defeated | $390K | — | — | $390K |
Brett Lindstrom(R)defeated | $374K | — | — | $374K |
Crystal Rhoades(D)defeated | $173K | — | — | $173K |
Mark Edmund Johnston(D)defeated | $10K | — | — | $10K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside NE versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Denise Powell(D)44% in-state · $1.2M itemized
$524K in-state$654K out-of-state
Brinker Harding(R)81% in-state · $1.2M itemized
$931K in-state$219K out-of-state
3 defeated candidates — show
Donald Bacon(R)defeated20% in-state · $893K itemized
$178K in-state$715K out-of-state
John Cavanaugh(D)defeated53% in-state · $857K itemized
$451K in-state$406K out-of-state
Kishla Askins(D)defeated7% in-state · $306K itemized
$21K in-state$285K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Powell | Harding | You |
|---|---|---|---|
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | ||
Criminal Justice The federal government should send more money to local police departments. | — | ||
Criminal Justice Marijuana should be legal under federal law. | — | ||
Criminal Justice Federal law should allow individuals to sue police officers for civil-rights violations even when officers claim qualified immunity. | — | ||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | ||
Economy Reducing the national debt should be a higher priority than new spending. | — | ||
Economy The federal government should require employers to provide paid family and medical leave. | — | ||
Education The government should forgive some federal student loan debt. | — | ||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should spend more on the military. | — | ||
Foreign Policy Conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel — tied to humanitarian or human-rights compliance — should be strengthened. | — | ||
Healthcare A government-run public health insurance option should be added to the ACA marketplace. | — | ||
Immigration People who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children should have a path to citizenship. | — | ||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — | ||
Governance & Other There should be term limits for senators and representatives. | — | ||
Governance & Other Outside political spending — from PACs and super PACs — should be limited more strictly. | — | ||
Social Security High earners should pay Social Security taxes on more of their income. | — | ||
Taxes Corporate taxes should be lower. | — | ||
Veterans The VA should cover more veterans and more health conditions. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.