Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh announces bid for U.S. Congress

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh announced Wednesday morning he is running for Congress.

The Omaha native said he is running to “ensure Congress stands up to (President) Donald Trump.”

“I’m running for Congress because the people of Nebraska deserve a representative in Congress who will stand up for working families, who will stand up for veterans and seniors, who will stand up to Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies,” Cavanaugh said in a statement.

The state’s 2nd Congressional District, sometimes called Nebraska’s “blue dot,” is currently held by Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) who has remained elected for four election cycles. Bacon has told First Alert 6 that he will decide this summer whether he’s running for re-election again.

Another Democratic candidate, Denise Powell, entered the race in May. She is the co-founder of the organization Women Who Run Nebraska.

Former congressional candidate Tony Vargas confirmed in May that he would not run again for the seat, who lost a close race against Bacon for the second time last November.

Cavanaugh is planning to formally launch his campaign at a June 25 event at the firefighters union hall at 60th and Grover streets.

Read Cavanaugh’s full statement

“I’m running for Congress because the people of Nebraska deserve a representative in Congress who will stand up for working families, who will stand up for veterans and seniors, who will stand up to Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies. For the last five years, I have served the people of Midtown Omaha in the Legislature. I have fought to protect access to reproductive healthcare for all women. I have stopped regressive tax increases and delivered meaningful tax cuts for families and small businesses. I have always worked to make Nebraska a more equitable place for all people. I look forward to bringing Nebraska values to a Congress that is broken and mired in chaos...

As we celebrate our country’s 250th birthday in 2026, we have an opportunity to continue the promise of the Constitution to form a more perfect union. We have an opportunity to build an economy for all people, to invest in our communities, and to build a democracy that is stronger than the one we inherited.”