OMAHA — Voters in Nebraska’s most competitive congressional district could get another rematch in 2024.
State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha announced a repeat bid Wednesday for the Democratic nomination to represent the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District.
His early entry makes him a favorite to challenge four-term U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. Nebraska Democrats have said privately in recent weeks that they do not expect another high-profile Democrat to run.
“While we came up just short last November, I was so encouraged by the enormous response we got from voters across the district,” Vargas said in a statement from his campaign.
He said voters were “excited” by his message of “cutting middle-class taxes, growing the economy, protecting women’s health care, and keeping our communities safe from gun violence.”
In Nebraska, which has some of the worst racial disparities when it comes to Covid-19 cases in the country, the state's sole Latino lawmaker tried to strengthen protections for meatpacking workers, all while confronting his own personal tragedy. It was a battle against time that revealed much about race, politics and workers' rights in the pandemic.