State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha at a Nebraska Democratic Party office in Omaha on April 3, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/ Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh is pushing back against a Republican-backed ad blitz targeting him during the stretch run of a contested Democratic primary in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District.
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He held a press conference Friday at the local Nebraska Democratic Party office flanked by state party leaders and some of his legislative colleagues, including State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha and State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue.
Cavanaugh called it a sign of his strength that the GOP ads had singled him out. Others, including some of his opponents, questioned whether Republicans were meddling in the Democratic primary to boost his campaign and blunt the impact of some recent criticisms of his bid.
“I’m disgusted, but not surprised, by the dark money MAGA Republican super PAC is trying to trick voters,” Cavanaugh said. “ I believe Democrats know me. They know what I’ve done. They will see through these false and cynical attacks.”
He denounced the TV and digital ads and mailers from a dark money group called American Action Network as “trying to trick voters.” The conservative group works often with the Congressional Leadership Fund that U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson steers.
The ads say, “Cavanaugh is working to enact Trump’s policy here in Nebraska,” citing Cavanaugh’s proposal to change Nebraska’s tax code to match federal tax changes from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including exempting overtime pay and tips from state income taxes.
The ad also used a partial quote from Cavanaugh at a legislative committee hearing this year in which he said, “It’s rare that you’ll find me in agreement with President Trump, but I think excluding overtime, and tips from income tax is a good idea that actually supports working people.” The ad used only the “in agreement with President Trump” part of the quote.
A separate mailer sent to some Omaha-area voters had a similar focus but used wording from a different source. It showed individual photographs of Cavanaugh and Trump placed next to each other and said of the two, “SAME TAX PLAN. SAME AGENDA. MAKING NEBRASKA GREAT AGAIN.”
When asked if he still supported his tax proposal, which has been stalled by the state’s budget deficit, Cavanaugh said yes. He mentioned that former Vice President Kamala Harris had “campaigned” on the issue, and he thinks it’s “universally” good idea and “always supports policies that support working people.”
In recent local and national reporting, Republican consultants have said the national GOP and its allies might emulate some of Democrats’ efforts in 2018 and 2022 to boost candidates they would prefer to face by attacking them during contested primary races and rallying primary voters to support them.
Cavanaugh has been mentioned in similar discussions, as has the slightly right-leaning 2nd District, which has an open seat because U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is retiring. Cavanaugh’s name appears in a memo listing Democratic contenders that GOP strategists identified as potential targets that could help Republicans keep control of the U.S. House, the conservative Washington Examiner reported. Bacon hinted at the possibility last year, saying outside political groups would highlight Cavanaugh’s “left-wing votes.”
“State Sen. John Cavanaugh has a rich history of far-left votes in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature,” the dossier read, according to the Washington Examiner.
Some GOP operatives have said in previous local and national reporting that they want to face Cavanaugh because they can attack his record in the Nebraska Legislature, which they describe as progressive. One GOP strategist working on House campaigns has said GOP criticism of Cavanaugh could help him in the primary.
Republicans used a similar strategy in the Texas Democratic Senate primary race between Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Texas state Rep. James Talarico. Some tried to help Crockett win because they viewed her as “easier to defeat in November.” Talarico won.
The latest GOP effort comes as Cavanaugh faces escalating criticism from his top two Democratic primary opponents — political action committee co-founder Denise Powell and Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades — that his winning the House seat could jeopardize the ‘Blue Dot,’ abortion rights and the design of the 2nd District, because GOP Gov. Jim Pillen would appoint his replacement if he goes to Washington, D.C.
The Examiner first reported on the criticism months ago, when Rhoades emphasized it. Recently, a SuperPAC aligned with Powell has amplified discussion about the potential risks of Cavanaugh winning for Democrats if the party does not pick up seats in the Legislature this cycle. That Fight for Nebraska PAC has been spending money on digital ads and outreach on the issue.
“With John Cavanaugh, Republicans win either way,” Rhoades said in a statement. “If he wins the seat, they get the supermajority needed to pursue redistricting, WTA [winner-take-all], and a heartbeat abortion ban. And they know he’s the easiest to defeat in November and prevent Democrats from winning a majority in Congress.”
Powell said in a statement that Cavanaugh has a “real reason to be worried.”
“I’m hearing from more and more voters that are concerned that if he wins this race, he is putting the ‘Blue Dot,’ the next presidential election, reproductive rights, public school funding, and so many things at risk,” Powell said.
Cavanaugh has described the criticism from his top competitors as misguided and said Democrats could win more legislative seats, and they could also win the governor’s race. He has called such criticisms of his bid a “loser mentality.”
Asked if he thinks Republicans are trying to boost his candidacy or hurt him, Cavanaugh said, “Republicans have obviously done polling and know that I’m the strongest Democratic candidate to win this race in November.”
Cavanaugh disagreed with questions about the previous reporting and comments from Republican strategists, saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” He said the only thing known about the ads “is that they are trying to hurt me.”
“Which means that they have done their homework,” Cavanaugh said. “They see the writing on the wall that I’m the strongest candidate to win in November.”
Dona-Gene Barton, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who studies political behavior, said it’s “difficult to know how these ads will affect Democratic primary voters.”
“But when there is a crowded primary, sometimes small effects can change the outcome of the election, especially when the attacks come close to Election Day,” Barton said. Early voting primary ballots start getting mailed Monday.
Three lesser-known Democratic candidates also are still competing to face presumptive Republican nominee Brinker Harding in the general election: Navy veteran Kishla Askins, former immigration attorney Evangelos Argyrakis and self-described Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams.
Nebraska’s primary election is May 12. The general election is Nov. 3.
- 2:56 pmEditor's note: This story has been revised to eliminate a duplicated paragraph.
This story is provided by States Newsroom, a nonprofit state news network and Blox Digital content partner.
