District: NE-02
Cook Political Ranking: Lean D
Performance Voter Index: D+3
Denise Powell is a mom, small business owner, and former corporate executive who is running for Congress to flip Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. After President Trump’s election in 2016, Powell left a successful career in corporate America to create Women Who Run Nebraska— an organization that has supported hundreds of Nebraskans running for local office, protected public schools and the families they serve, and helped stop extremists from passing abortion bans in the state. She is also a Community Impact Committee Member at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Powell has a proven track record of always showing up for her community and the people of Nebraska. Powell is running for the U.S. House in Nebraska because she believes Nebraskans deserve a representative who fights for them, not votes against them.

Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is based in the eastern portion of the state and includes the largest city in the state, Omaha. Ahead of the 2022 race, this district barely changed under the redistricting process. The seat is currently held by four-term incumbent Rep. Don Bacon (R), who is not running for reelection. Under the old district lines, in 2020, President Biden won the district by 6 points, while VP Kamala Harris won this district in 2024 by over five points. In 2024, the race for NE-02 saw nearly $21 million in outside spending, with Democratic candidate Nebraska state legislator Tony Vargas raising $7.4 million and Rep. Bacon raising $6.3 million. In 2026, Denise Powell is running in this open contest, and the DCCC has included Powell in its Red to Blue program. V4P PAC has not yet endorsed in this race.