Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon is talking about not following the MAGA party “off the cliff,” while making public statements of opposition to the Big B.S. Bill, calling the name change of the Gulf of Mexico “stupid,” criticizing Trump for handling Putin with “velvet gloves,” and abusing his power by bypassing Congress on tariffs.
However, Bacon voted with the MAGA party to move the Big B.S. Bill forward, saying it was not perfect, but still “delivered for Nebraskans,” and praises the MAGA immigration policies.
Bacon says with Musk and Trump feuding, it’s an opportunity to fight for the “soul of the party.”
“I don’t want to be the guy who follows the flute player off the cliff. I think that’s what’s going on right now,” Bacon said, comparing his numerous breaks from party lines to Winston Churchill condemning Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
Bacon, 61, is waxing philosophically about his future, and is not indicating whether he will run for another term in Congress, which would be his sixth.
“If I had a perfect lane, someday I’d love to work in an administration as director of intelligence or secretary of Defense or Air Force,” he said. “I’d rather go down in history as being on the right side of this stuff.”
When Hakeem Jeffries told the House Democratic Caucus that they were officially on “Don Bacon retirement watch,” the room erupted in cheers.
Enough about Bacon, let’s talk about taking him out of the equation in his center-leaning district that went for Kamala Harris by four points.
His retirement would be one of the best opportunities for Democrats to flip a seat blue.
Nebraska’s Second Congressional District was only one of three to prevail in a district that voted blue in the presidential, by a narrow 51-49 margin. Bacon has upheld the seat as an independent-minded GOPster that has only flipped once in 30 years, while the district represents the split delegate that went to Harris in Nebraska.
Part of the good news here is that Democrats scored a major victory last month when John Ewing decisively unseated Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican who had led Nebraska’s largest city since 2013, in a 57-43 landslide.
Democratic state Sen. John Cavanaugh announced last Wednesday that he would challenge Bacon for his seat.
Cavanaugh hails from a prominent local political family. His father previously represented the district from 1977 to 1981, and his sister serves in the state legislature.
Cavanaugh says that Bacon, who almost always votes with Trump, even when he makes a show of criticizing him, can’t evade his party’s leader anymore.
“The people are looking for a change in their leadership,” Cavanaugh said Wednesday. “They don’t support President Trump, and they would like to be represented by someone in Congress who actually votes their values.”
