OMAHA — Challenger Dan Frye is running to the right of Rep. Don Bacon in the Republican primary for Nebraska's 2nd District, but the left's wallets also appear to be opening.
The National Democratic Party sees a split among some Omaha-area Republicans, raising the possibility that state Sen. Tony Vargas will flip Nebraska's most competitive congressional district. is strengthening.
This week, the House Majority PAC, a major donor to Democrats seeking to wrest the House from Republican control, announced it was setting aside $2 million for digital and television advertising in the Omaha ad market for this fall. .
That's up from about $660,000 in 2022, when a Democratic president took office and House Republicans were in a stronger financial position heading into the midterm cycle. In 2020, the last presidential election cycle, he spent $900,000.
“House Majority PAC will do everything possible to move NE-02 from red to blue in November,” said Dora Pekek, a spokeswoman for the House Majority PAC. “Don Bacon's anti-choice and extremist background makes it abundantly clear that Bacon supports Donald Trump and his MAGA policies, not the people of NE-02.”
Nationally, Democrats are raising money for the 2024 general election, which is likely to be dominated by the president's rematch, thanks to the Republican equivalent of the Congressional Leadership Fund.
House Majority PAC and its affiliated super PACs outperformed the Congressional Leadership Fund and its super PACs by $7 million, or $37 million to $30 million, in the first quarter of 2024. CLF has raised more funds so far this cycle.
Some of the country's donor trends
This shift is part of a broader national trend, with the Democratic National Committee and its allies outpacing the Republican National Committee and its allies.
Republican groups have not yet announced their fall ad bookings, but said the incumbents are “incredibly strong” and the political environment is favorable to them.
The House Majority PAC often overstates the amount it plans to spend, but it takes the threat of more money seriously, according to people familiar with the Republican group.
“Democrats have spent millions of dollars over and over again trying to defeat Don Bacon, but he continues to win because he's the most popular candidate,” said Courtney Parella, a spokeswoman for the Leadership Fund. “He is one of our most talented legislators and a true warrior for Nebraskans in Washington.” . “Nothing changes in this cycle.”
Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha is also moving into traditional fundraising, where he reported raising $770,000 in the first quarter of 2024 and having $1.6 million in cash on hand.
That's roughly double the amount he had up to this point in the 2022 race with Bacon.
Bacon is still rich in campaign funds.
Bacon is also stepping up fundraising efforts. His campaign reported raising $709,000 in the first quarter.
Mr. Bacon's cash reserves have increased from his 2022 total to $1.9 million at this point in the $1.1 million contest, but he may have to use some of that money against Frye and the Republican primary. His campaign said it was enough to “protect conservatives' solid track record.”
His campaign said it was Fry's first meaningful fundraising tally since launching his campaign in January, with nearly $80,000 raised, with about $54,000 in cash on hand. He was endorsed by the Nebraska Republican Party.
Most local political observers expect Mr. Bacon to survive Frye's challenge. But they say they need to solidify support among conservatives without alienating swing voters in battleground districts.
And which party controls the House could depend on votes in the 2nd District. Republicans will lose one more seat to a retiree next week, narrowing their lead to 217-213, at least until special and regular elections are held.
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