Denise Powell declares victory in CD2 Democratic primary, will face Brinker Harding in November

Powell issued a statement just after 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, almost 24 hours after polls had closed in the primary. 

“I’m incredibly honored to be the Democratic nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District," she said. "Thank you to my family and friends, my team, and to every candidate who ran. It takes guts to step into the arena, and you have my respect for your willingness to show up and serve." 

The statement came minutes after the Associated Press projected Powell as the winner. Decision Desk HQ, a prominent election data service, had called the race for Powell on Tuesday night. The Powell campaign had been waiting to declare victory until after the AP race call, a campaign source told The World-Herald. 

Official vote tallies showed Powell earning about 39% of votes to Cavanaugh's 37% early Wednesday. Election workers in Douglas County still have thousands of ballots left to count, but Cavanaugh, the early polling frontrunner in the race, did not appear to have a viable path to victory. 

Powell said in a statement earlier Wednesday that "while we are still awaiting the final results of this primary, we are confident in our path to victory." 

Powell is seeking to be the first Democrat to win the district since Brad Ashford was elected in 2014. 

Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican, is not seeking reelection after years eking out victories.

In 2024, he won by 1.8 percentage points. Over five elections, his average margin of victory was 2.4 percentage points.

Harding, the Omaha City Council cice president, did not face a challengee in the GOP primary. 

Preliminary vote tallies show Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades in third place with 14% of the vote, Navy veteran and former federal official Kishla Askins at 5.8%, and Melanie Williams, a progressive activist, at 3.8%.

"There are approximately 9,700 by mail ballots that we will be processing today, making sure that their signatures match their envelope," Douglas County Election Commissioner Danielle Jensen said Wednesday. "Then we will open those (Thursday) during opening board where we have bipartisan teams."

On Tuesday night, Powell acknowledged that there were still votes yet to be counted as she addressed supporters at a watch party at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Thompson Alumni Center Tuesday night.

"We want this whole democratic process to work its way through, but we feel so good," she said. 

The mood was still celebratory, with cheers erupting as the last vote count of the night put Powell in the lead by nearly 2 percentage points. 

Powell said she had written only one speech to give Tuesday night, because her message was the same whether she wins or loses. 

"Thank you to all of you for being in my corner," she told supporters. "For showing up every day, on the hard days, on the fun days, thank you for all of it."

As she spoke to reporters just before midnight, Powell said the attention now shifts to the general race in November, whether she is "lucky to be the candidate" or not. 

At an election party at Dundee’s Underwood Bar, Cavanaugh thanked supporters and emphasized his commitment to the labor community, including striking Teamsters. He said he’s running to “build that movement of people who will go to Washington and hold this administration accountable and bring real reform.”

Cavanaugh’s team said it would have no further comments Tuesday.

Powell, a political action committee founder, has called herself a “pissed-off mom” and said she was the person to rein in chaos in Washington, D.C. 

When Powell launched her campaign more than a year ago, she had never run for office and not served in a front-facing political position.

But she proved over a year of campaigning that she is not a novice.

Powell’s fundraising of $1.5 million over the course of the primary led the field, and she drew support from major national organizations. 

She blasted the message that losing Cavanaugh's legislative seat to a Republican could have severe consequences on issues like abortion and preserving the "Blue Dot." And in the last month, political action committees poured almost $5 million into the district to amplify that message and also promote Powell’s campaign. 

Cavanaugh fought back with ads calling Powell’s financial support “dark money," leading a brutal last month of campaigning.

But Powell now looks poised to turn her attention to the general election. Bacon announced last year that he would not seek a sixth term in Congress, opening the floodgates for candidates.

Ten different people filed paperwork to run campaigns in CD2.

Seven of them made it to Tuesday.

Now only two appear to be left standing: Powell and Harding.

Republican nominee Harding has been able to spend recent months fundraising and saving cash. His campaign signs already pepper the district. He holds endorsements from nearly every prominent Nebraska Republican and President Donald Trump.

Powell signaled she's ready for the fight. "It is time now to really build the biggest, broadest coalition we can," she said. 

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