# Powell leads tight NE-02 Democratic primary; final count pending  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T08:04:36.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/powell-leads-cavanaugh-in-too-close-to-call-ne-02-democratic-u-s-house-primary/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/powell-leads-tight-ne-02-democratic-primary-final-count-pending

Political action committee co-founder Denise Powell led by roughly 39% of the vote in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary Tuesday, with State Sen. John Cavanaugh following closely at 37%, according to [reporting from the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/powell-leads-cavanaugh-in-too-close-to-call-ne-02-democratic-u-s-house-primary/). The outcome remained uncertain, however, as Douglas County had up to 9,800 early ballots still to count.

The razor-thin margin underscored one of the nation's most significant House races. [The Omaha-area district is one of the Democratic Party's biggest targets this midterm season](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district) and represents Nebraska's "blue dot" — [one of just two states that splits its electoral votes, with the 2nd District having gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district).

The race was decided by single-digit percentages after months of fierce campaigning. Cavanaugh initially held a significant advantage in early voting returns, but Powell chipped away at his lead as Election Day ballots were counted. Powell's campaign benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside spending, while Cavanaugh faced a barrage of attacks from both rival Democrats and Republican-aligned groups.

[Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades came in third with 14%](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district), while Retired U.S. Navy veteran Kishla Askins received nearly 6% and self-described Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams got nearly 4%.

The campaign turned increasingly contentious in recent weeks, with the two frontrunners launching dueling negative ads. [Cavanaugh faced warnings that if he wins the congressional seat, Nebraska's Republican governor would appoint his replacement in the Legislature, potentially giving state Republicans enough votes to enact conservative priorities](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district) — an issue that dominated the airwaves through Powell-aligned outside groups.

The winner will face [Republican Brinker Harding, an Omaha City Council member endorsed by President Donald Trump, running unopposed on the GOP side](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district). [The race has drawn more than $5.6 million in outside spending](https://legis1.com/news/nebraska-2nd-congressional-district-2026) as the seat left open by the retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon becomes a key November battleground.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/powell-leads-cavanaugh-in-too-close-to-call-ne-02-democratic-u-s-house-primary/)
- [PBS NewsHour Democratic primary preview and context](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nebraska-democrats-face-off-in-house-primary-for-the-states-blue-dot-district)
- [Legis1 analysis of 2nd District race](https://legis1.com/news/nebraska-2nd-congressional-district-2026)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/powell-leads-cavanaugh-in-too-close-to-call-ne-02-democratic-u-s-house-primary/.