OMAHA — Nebraska’s 2nd District bathed in the attention Saturday of presidential surrogates befitting a swing state, not the most populous part of a conservative state that Republicans rule.

The presidential campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris held dueling rallies in parts of the district each would like to win — east Omaha and the suburbs.

Trump sent former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, to the Hilton Omaha hotel downtown to appeal to traditional Democratic voters in the east.

Harris sent Nebraska native Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor and her running mate, to Papillion’s SumTur Amphitheater, aimed at traditional Republican voters to the west and south of Omaha.

Value Of The 2nd District Vote

Both drew significant crowds. Nebraska Democrats filled most of SumTur’s seats and grassy expanse, drawing more than 1,700 people, based on campaign estimates.

Nebraska Republicans filled Hilton’s grand ballroom to capacity and spilled over into the hallway. Republicans helping organize the rally estimated it drew more than 1,000 people.

Kennedy and Gabbard stressed the importance of Nebraska’s 2nd District to scenarios where Trump’s ability to win could come down to the district’s single stray Electoral College vote.

Nebraska and Maine award a single electoral vote to the winner of the presidential popular vote in each congressional district. In Nebraska, that leaves one up for grabs in the Omaha area.

“It is still the most critical election in this country,” Kennedy said of the 2nd District presidential contest. “We could still end up 269 to 269 (in electoral votes).”

To win the presidency, a candidate must secure 270 electoral votes. In a tie, the presidential election would go to the House of Representatives, with each state’s House delegation getting a single vote.

Walz did the same, saying Harris sent him to make sure people know they could help cement her presidency and help Americans turn the page from the time of Trump.

“This state and this district are showing the rest of the country that democracy runs right through here,” Walz said of the 2nd District’s Douglas, Saunders and part of Sarpy Counties.

History Behind ‘Blue Dot’

One of the reasons behind the full court press for hearts and minds in the 2nd District kicked off Walz’s rally: former Nebraska Gov. and former U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.

Nelson told the crowd he was pleased to see the attention paid to Nebraska from legislation he signed as governor in the 1990s and that he preserved with vetoes of GOP efforts to change it.

Nebraska Republicans have tried for years to shift the state to winner-take-all, stopped largely by the quirks of its one-house, officially nonpartisan Legislature that requires 33 of 49 votes to overcome a filibuster, a tactic often deployed against controversial proposals.

They tried this summer to find a 33rd vote, now that Republicans hold 33 seats. But a former Democrat-turned-GOP lawmaker, State Sen. Mike McDonnell, backed what he called the “green dot.”

He calls it that because the district has drawn tens of millions in advertising and campaign investments seeking the electoral vote, including more than $20 million this year.

True Swing District

The swing nature of the district is evident in the past four presidential election results. The 2nd District backed Democrats in 2008 and 2020 and Republicans in 2012 and 2016.

One of the quirks of the election this year is that Harris’ campaign has outspent Trump by more than $20 million in ads. The Harris campaign has also put more staff on the ground.

Some Republican candidates, including U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who represents the 2nd District, have complained that the lack of spending by Trump’s campaign put them in a more precarious position.

No members of Nebraska’s all-GOP federal congressional delegation attended the Trump campaign’s rally Saturday. Three of the Democrats’ federal candidates attended Walz’s rally.

But Trump’s ability to motivate grassroots Republicans remains strong. Republicans who spoke to the Nebraska Examiner said they were excited to vote for Trump and mentioned the cost of living.

Bacon’s opponent, State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, urged Walz rally attendees to volunteer for his campaign and to help candidates up and down the ballot.

“Let’s elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to show the world the power of Nebraska, the power of the ‘blue dot,’” Vargas said Saturday, referencing what Democrats call the 2nd District.

Reinforcements Arrive

Reinforcements have come. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the 2nd District on Friday for Bacon. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is visiting Sunday for Vargas.

Democrats attending the rally who spoke to the Examiner said they were motivated to make sure Harris wins and to keep Trump from having a second term. They emphasized reproductive rights.

Walz’s speech played to the middle. He stressed the need to get the country back to a place where people can disagree politically without treating one another like enemies.

Walz talked about the need to get health care costs under control and the need to continue to invest in the future of American manufacturing and education.

The Walz rally featured local voters who have supported Republicans but back Harris, including Blaine McKillip of Omaha, who said he could not support Trump’s departure from norms, including his unwillingness to accept his 2020 loss.

Kennedy and Gabbard banked toward the middle, too, in a different way. The two stressed voter fatigue with higher grocery prices and war in Europe and the Middle East.

Both said they were tired of letting the military industrial complex cost Americans billions of tax dollars and thousands of servicemembers’ lives. Kennedy said intelligence services are in charge of the government.

Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat before trying as a nonpartisan. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen recently removed him from the Nebraska ballot at his campaign’s request.

Kennedy visited Nebraska while he was still running. He said Saturday that one of his goals was to win the 2nd District. Saturday was Walz’s second rally in Nebraska this cycle.

Motivating Middle And The Base

Walz, Kennedy and Gabbard also drew loud applause with partisan appeals, too.

Walz riled up the crowd over abortion rights and his “mind your own damn business” line about personal privacy. He said regular people would pay more for items they rely on under Trump’s tariffs.

Kennedy and Gabbard drew loud applause for talking about the impact on families of post-pandemic inflation and how federal spending has made housing and bills less affordable.

Both have been mentioned as possible participants in a second Trump administration.

In a campaign that could be decided by the energy of volunteers down the stretch, both sides spelled out the stakes. Walz said the country can’t afford Trump’s assault on democracy.

Gabbard said Americans can’t afford to let neo-conservatives who prefer war to peace keep making decisions about arming Ukraine that she said could lead to wider war.

“I’m proud to be here to support President Trump tonight,” Gabbard said.

Speakers at both rallies argued that the competing party had forgotten about working people. And both said to expect door-knockers, mailers, phone calls and texts through Nov. 5.

“One dot makes the difference,” Walz said.

Said Gabbard: “Look at the facts of the record for four years under President Trump and four years under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and let that motivate your vote.”

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/19/a-saturday-in-presidential-cross...