Nebraska 2nd congressional district Democratic candidates at a KETV forum in Omaha on April 12, 2026. They are, from left, Navy veteran Kishla Askins, Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh, political action committee co-founder Denise Powell, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades and Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
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OMAHA — Democrats in a contested primary in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District tried to separate themselves from each other during an ABC affiliate KETV forum Sunday as the primary election fast approaches.
All but one candidate — former immigration attorney Evangelos Argyrakis — qualified for the forum. The race to be the Democratic nominee against the Republican nominee, Brinker Harding, in the slightly right-leaning 2nd District, has six people: Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh, political action committee co-founder Denise Powell, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades, Navy veteran Kishla Askins, self-described Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams and Argyrakis.
The topics at the forum ranged from the Iran war, backgrounds and campaigns, federal spending and debt, saving Nebraskans’ money, and ICE enforcement of immigration laws. The questions were tailored to each candidate, except for the last topic.
Rhoades was asked how her stance on Israel would impact her decisions in Congress. Rhoades has written in an op-ed that she would “unapologetically” stand with Israel.
“I think that Israel has the exact same problem that the United States has,” Rhoades said during the forum, “that problem is that they have a leader who is putting the entire country in a compromised situation.”
She said that she had been distressed by the notion that “Israel has somehow made us do this.” But make no mistake, she said, “Donald Trump is responsible for his actions.”
In the earlier days of the war in Iran, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the U.S. struck Iran because Israel was going to act on its own.
‘Republican talking point’
Cavanaugh was asked about the escalating criticism from his top two Democratic primary opponents 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 Cavanaugh’s replacement if he goes to Washington, D.C. He called those criticisms a “Republican talking point” that is being parroted by “dark money PACs” and is a “bad-faith attack.”
“I’m confident that we can win not only 17 seats, but 18 [or] 19 seats in this election,” Cavanaugh said. “I think we have the candidates who match the districts…[I’m running] also on a democratic message that is going to help candidates win legislative districts across Nebraska.”
The state lawmaker, after the forum, said it became a “Republican talking point” after retiring U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb, tweeted about it. When pressed about the criticism originally coming from his primary opponents, Cavanaugh said his opponents are “picking up a Republican talking point” because they are “echoing” Bacon’s comments.
He also pointed out that a few Republican lawmakers have voted against attempts to change how the state awards Electoral College votes for president because some rural Republicans have expressed concerns that such changes could cause them to lose “their voice” under winner-take-all as the state becomes more urban and suburban over time.
Rhoades started hammering Cavanaugh about it last year, and Powell has recently picked up on it as a Powell-aligned SuperPAC, Fight for Nebraska PAC, 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 by spending money on digital ads and outreach on the issue.
Rhoades, after the forum, said, “I haven’t heard any Republicans weigh in on him creating an environment where he can give them a legislative seat, congressional seat, winner take all, and a heartbeat ban … his candidacy is a gift to Republicans.”
Powell told the Examiner after the forum that it felt “strange” to her that Cavanaugh called it a “Republican talking point.”
“I’ll be frank, I’m sort of surprised that he didn’t realize how big an issue that was going to be,” Powell said.
Powell was asked during the background and campaign portion of the forum why she used the phrase “pissed off mom” to describe herself in campaign ads, as some “criticized the language.” Powell said she used that type of language because “I’m really darn angry and because I have heard from so many people in this district that they’re angry too.”
Askins was asked why she is the best candidate for the district, despite having just moved to Omaha last year after her wife retired from the Marine Corps in the fall.
She said, “This is not a normal time in our country. This is not a time when we have to learn or grow into the job.”
Askins, after the forum, stressed to the Examiner that she is the only candidate with a detailed plan for how she would enact policy in Congress, as it would take her “opponents four to six years to become an effective member of Congress.”
“I have a plan…we’re not talking in platitudes. We’re not talking about people struggling. Turn that into a policy,” Askins told the Examiner.
As expected, all of the candidates criticized President Donald Trump and his policies during his second term.
The seat of the most politically divided and diverse district has been viewed as a likely pickup for congressional Democrats since Bacon, a Republican, announced last year that he would not seek reelection.
The 2nd District includes all of Douglas and Saunders Counties and a significant slice of western suburban and rural Sarpy County. The district includes the state’s largest concentration of Democrats and was redistricted to include a larger swath of Republican-leaning rural voters in Wahoo and surrounding areas.
Nebraska’s primary election is May 12. The general election is Nov. 3.
This story is provided by States Newsroom, a nonprofit state news network and Blox Digital content partner.
