Slew of political surrogates stump in Nebraska to sway voters
With a little more than two weeks to go before Election Day, politicians and national figures are descending upon Nebraska, especially the Omaha area, to stump for candidates in the presidential and congressional races.
Notable figures campaigning for the Democratic presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz included "Friday Night Lights" actress Connie Britton; Walz's wife, Gwen; Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and famed scientist Bill Nye. Walz himself will rally in the Omaha area Saturday afternoon, his second trip to the state since being selected as a vice presidential candidate.
Notable figures stumping for the Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance include former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who are arriving on Sunday.
The U.S. House race between Republican incumbent Don Bacon and Democratic challenger Tony Vargas is drawing top House leadership to the state and the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Deb Fischer and independent challenger Dan Osborn also attracted United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate-turned-independent Andrew Yang — and a Trump tele-town hall.
Although Nebraska has just 2 million residents, the close presidential race and thin margins in both the House and Senate could allow the state's election results to have an outsized impact on national politics.
"The consequences of elections in Nebraska this cycle have potentially national ramifications," said Kevin Smith, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "I think that is just much more likely to draw people in because the stakes are higher."
Presidential campaigns battle for one electoral vote
Although neither Trump nor Harris have appeared in the 2nd Congressional District this cycle, their surrogates are giving the district, which carries one Electoral College vote, much attention.
Former Democrats Kennedy and Gabbard are scheduled to campaign in support of the Trump-Vance campaign at the Hilton Omaha downtown on Saturday at 6 p.m. Their appearances will come one week after the Trump campaign conducted a get-out-the-vote canvassing effort featuring Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and local Republican Party leaders.
Vance appeared in Omaha in August for a private fundraiser hosted by U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts.
The Harris-Walz campaign has also deployed an array of surrogates to the 2nd District, including former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who is co-chairing Harris' campaign. Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, came to Omaha twice in 2024 to campaign for President Joe Biden's reelection before Biden ended his bid in July.
The Harris-Walz campaign hosted Nye, who co-created and hosted the PBS educational show "Bill Nye the Science Guy," near Creighton University in September where he spoke on climate issues and in support of Democrats. More than 100 students showed up to listen, according to Creighton College Democrats Co-President Ava Meyer.
"It was just really amazing for him to come to campus and for people to listen to him speak because our generation kind of holds him in high regard," Meyer said.
House leaders coming to 2nd District
The tossup race between Bacon and Vargas has attracted the U.S. House's heaviest hitters to Omaha this weekend, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Johnson appeared with Bacon at a roundtable discussion with Jewish leaders outside the Beth El Synagogue in west Omaha on Friday. The roundtable marked the third time Johnson has visited Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District in support of Bacon. Johnson visited the district once in 2023 and stopped by earlier this year.
"The people here know that Don Bacon is working hard for them every single day. They know, so to speak, he brings home the bacon," Johnson said in a press conference outside the synagogue.
Johnson's appearance marks the latest House speaker to stump for the four-term incumbent Bacon. Former House Speakers John Boehner and Kevin McCarthy came to the district this summer in support of Bacon. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer are scheduled to also appear in the district.
Bacon's campaign noted local Republican leaders and elected officials as prominent surrogates as well as Democrat Ann Ashford, the wife of the late former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford. Ashford, who ran for the Democratic nomination for the House seat in 2020, has appeared with Bacon for door-to-door campaigning and in television ads.
"Our campaign is proud to have incredible support from community leaders and elected officials in every corner of the district," Bacon campaign spokesperson Matthew Zacher said in a statement.
Vargas will appear with Jeffries, the House minority leader, at a community luncheon on Sunday.
Vargas' campaign also touted surrogate support from about a dozen House members including what will be multiple visits from U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Washington. Vargas' campaign further noted a recent visit from Luis Miranda Jr., an author, activist and board chair of the Latino Victory Fund.
"The energy on the ground has been building and there is growing momentum from voters who want to elect Tony Vargas to Congress," said Meg Mandy, senior advisor to Vargas' campaign.
To Huchen Liu, an assistant political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the presence of surrogates, especially in the competitive House race, are a sign that national politicians are seeking every edge for victory.
"When we observe activities from these national political figures that are not usually involved in the politics of a state ... they want to be able to effect a political victory that would otherwise be hard to come by," Liu said.
Trump and labor union president campaign in Fischer-Osborn race
Osborn's surprisingly strong U.S. Senate campaign against Fischer is also drawing national interest.
UAW leader Fain, who visited the Steamfitters & Plumbers union hall in southwest Omaha last Saturday, said he saw the Nebraska Senate race as an important cause for labor relations. Fain said Osborn's leadership in the 2021 strike against Kellogg's was a model for the United Auto Workers during that union's 2023 strike against Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Stellantis. He also said an Osborn win would pave the way for people working blue-collar and other middle-class jobs to serve in Congress and revive the American Dream.
"This is our generation's defining moment," Fain said.
Osborn has also drawn support, though not formal endorsements, from Yang, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and former Republican Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who was born in Omaha. Both Yang and Healey are now members of the centrist Forward Party and appeared in Omaha's Florence neighborhood alongside independent legislative candidate Nick Batter on Tuesday.
"We seek to represent the more than 50% of American voters who are neither Republicans nor Democrats and want to maintain their independence," Healey said. "We see the system here in Nebraska, and Nick Batter's and Dan Osborn's campaigns, as exemplars of what we'd like to see across the country."
Trump himself has acted surrogate in support of Fischer's re-election bid. The two teamed up for a tele-rally with thousands of Nebraskans who joined by phone last week.
In that rally, Trump called Fischer a "terrific person" who has consistently supported him. He also highlighted her support for farmers, border security and veterans. The Fischer campaign released an ad featuring a video from Trump.
"It's very unusual that Nebraska is in a position to where the outcome of this election may have significant influence on power and control of all three of those institutions in a single electoral cycle," Smith, the UNL professor, said.
World-Herald staff writer Henry Cordes contributed to this report.
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