May 13 (Reuters) – Denise Powell won the Democratic nomination for an open seat in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, U.S. media projected on Wednesday.
The Omaha-based seat is one of Democrats’ best opportunities to win a Republican-held seat in the 2026 November elections, in which control of Congress is at stake.
Powell will face Brinker Harding, an Omaha city councilman who ran uncontested for the Republican nomination.
Nebraska typically backs Republican candidates, but the Omaha-area district has been trending Democratic. President Donald Trump won the statewide popular vote in 2024 by 20.5 percentage points, but Democrat Kamala Harris won the district that year, by 4.6 percentage points.
It is one of three nationwide won by Harris that are currently represented by a Republican. With incumbent Republican Representative Don Bacon retiring, it is a top target for Democrats.
Republicans hold a narrow 217-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with five seats vacant.
Democrats would need to net three seats in November’s midterm elections to win control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill and Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Michelle Nichols)
