OMAHA, NEB. -- During a cool evening in North Omaha, a modest banquet hall known for hosting small weddings and baby showers was packed for a political kind of occasion.
Democratic, Republican and independent voters gathered for a bipartisan candidate forum that remained civil, if not entirely friendly.
“This is what should be happening …across the country,” said Cynthia Douglas-Ybarra, a loyal Democrat who is part of a booming Latino population that’s become a bigger political factor. “We might totally disagree, but we're not going to scream at each other or, shoot each other over it.”
But the political stakes are high here in Nebraska’s second Congressional District. National Democrats have descended on the area increasingly known as the “blue dot."
Unlike most states, Nebraska splits some of its electoral votes by congressional district. It’s become a focus point for Democrats hoping to pick up one electoral college vote this year for Vice President Kamala Harris’s White House bid. That vote went to President Biden in 2020, and former President Trump in 2016.
Now this region around Omaha has become a political thorn in the GOP's side. It's put new pressure on incumbent Republican Congressman Don Bacon facing off against Nebraska State Senator Tony Vargas.
National Republicans have traveled here to try to shift the state to a more common electoral college winner-take-all model -- a failed fight so far.
And national Democrats are leading in both spending and polling. All of that focus is having a major impact on down ballot Republicans like Bacon and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer who's facing a surprisingly close race with political novice and independent Dan Osborn.
A moderate Republican running under pressure from Democrats and his own party
Bacon, the four-term U.S. House member seeking re-election, is part of a dying breed of moderate Republicans on Capitol Hill as his party moves further right.
His race may give Omaha voters a say, on a national scale, to keep that wing of the GOP alive or help send it into political extinction.
“I think it’s ironic I had a primary where I was not MAGA enough, now I’m too MAGA,” Bacon told NPR.
In May, Bacon defeated Republican challenger Dan Frei, who argued Bacon didn’t support Trump and his allies "Make America Great Again" efforts enough.
Last year, Bacon faced security threats after he refused to support efforts led by hard-right members, including a failed push last year by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to become the next speaker. And in 2022, Trump campaigned against Bacon.
This year, Bacon quietly supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential bid. However, he later switched that support to Trump’s re-election campaign, and now has his endorsement.
Bacon has had success in the past as a moderate, but new district lines, intraparty fights and an influx of new voters could all favor his Democratic opponent.
“It finally caught up to him and we’re making sure everyone knows between now and election day,” Vargas said.
Vargas hopes draw new support from voters of color to become the state’s first Latino in Congress.
So for his part, Bacon is pitching his bipartisan record to independent voters. That includes work he did to bring billion-dollar infrastructure projects to Omaha, that includes joining a small group of House Republicans to pass President Biden's 2021 infrastructure law and new funding for nearby Offutt Air Force Base, a top area employer.
“I think the harder to reach ones, they want to see that and they want to know I’m not a partisan guy first,” Bacon said. "In the end, I want to do what’s right for our country and I think that message works."
Bacon leans into his military background as a retired Air Force brigadier general who once served at Offutt. He's also highlighting his work on the House Armed Services Committee and support for Ukraine.
Democrats have energy and spending power
But Vargas insists the momentum and issues are on his party’s side.
“We’re a top race because people are showing up and are taking responsibility for Democracy and to fire Don Bacon,” Vargas said.
From his downtown Omaha campaign office, Vargas hosted a roundtable with Katherine Clark, the House Democratic Whip, to spotlight the loss of access to reproductive rights, a top voter issue.
Clark told NPR that down ballot Democrats are buoyed by a national fight over electoral votes and new momentum for Harris.
“Vice President Harris is doing well here,” Clark said. "It is also helping our congressional candidate.”
This, as Nebraska saw a population boom statewide driven by Latinos. From 2022 to 2023, Hispanics accounted for 80% of the state's population growth.
Vargas said he believes that will translate into a voter demographic he has personally cornered in his district, including an influx of outreach through bilingual mailers, radio and television ads.
Wooing voters in the political center
Back at the candidate forum, Bacon is using his time at the mic to first highlight his support from Democrats. That includes Ann Ashford, a prominent local Democrat who is attending the forum.
"I thank you for doing that," Bacon told Ashford, who once ran against him and lost and is now cutting ads for her former political nemesis.
"I'm going to be doing everything I can to campaign for him between now and the final Election Day," Ashford told reporters of the endorsement.
Cynthia Douglas-Ybarra, the loyal Democrat, had an extended chat with Bacon. She says the two run into each other often at events as both are former military veterans, and they're friendly.
But Bacon’s bipartisan talk didn't sway her.
"No, he is not getting my vote. Hell no. No!” she says between laughs. “He's a Republican. He's a Trump Republican!"
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