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Democrats investing more in Vargas during Bacon-Frei GOP primary fight in NE-02  • Nebraska Examiner

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Democrats investing more in Vargas during Bacon-Frei GOP primary fight in NE-02  • Nebraska Examiner


OMAHA — Nebraska’s 2nd District Republican primary U.S. House race, with challenger Dan Frei running to Rep. Don Bacon’s right, appears to be opening left-leaning wallets, too.

National Democrats increasingly see division among some Omaha-area Republicans as boosting State Sen. Tony Vargas’ chances of flipping Nebraska’s most competitive House district their way.

State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha speaks on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

This week, a key funder for Democrats trying to wrest the House from GOP control, House Majority PAC, announced reserving $2 million in digital and TV advertising in the Omaha ad market for this fall.

That is up from about $660,000 in 2022, when House Republicans were in a stronger financial position headed into a mid-term cycle with a Democratic president in office. They spent $900,000 in 2020, the last presidential election cycle.

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“House Majority PAC will do whatever it takes to ensure NE-02 flips from red to blue come November,” said Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for House Majority PAC. “Don Bacon’s anti-choice, extremist record makes it abundantly clear Bacon stands with Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda, not the people of NE-02.”

Nationally, the GOP equivalent Congressional Leadership Fund has lagged Democratic efforts in fundraising for a 2024 general election likely to be dominated by a presidential rematch.

The House Majority PAC and its related super PAC outraised the Congressional Leadership Fund and its super PAC by $7 million in the first quarter of 2024, $37 million to $30 million.

Part of national donor trend

Part of this is a broader national trend, with the Democratic National Committee and its aligned groups outraising the Republican National Committee and its allies.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., speaks about the importance of protecting the unborn to a Walk for Life crowd. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

The Republican group has not yet announced its ad reservations for the fall but said they have “incredibly strong” incumbents and a political environment that likely favors them.

Sources within the GOP-aligned group say the House Majority PAC often overstates how much it plans to spend, but that they are taking seriously the threat of more money being spent.

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“Cycle after cycle, Democrats spend millions hoping to knock out Don Bacon, yet he keeps winning because he’s one of the most effective Members of Congress and is a true fighter for Nebraskans in Washington,” said Courtney Parella, a spokeswoman for the leadership fund. “This cycle won’t be any different.”

Traditional fundraising is also up for Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, who reported raising $770,000 in the first quarter of 2024 and having $1.6 million in cash on hand.

That is roughly doubling what he had by this point in his 2022 race with Bacon.

Bacon still flush with campaign cash

Bacon has stepped up his fundraising, too. His campaign reported raising $709,000 in the first quarter.

GOP congressional candidate Dan Frei talks to voters outside a rally organized by Charlie Kirk in Omaha. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Bacon’s cash on hand climbed to $1.9 million from his 2022 total at this point in the race of $1.1 million, but he may have to spend some of that money on Frei and the GOP primary. His campaign said it will have enough to “defend his strong conservative record.”

Frei’s first meaningful fundraising tallies since launching his campaign in January had him raising nearly $80,000 with about $54,000 in cash on hand, his campaign said. He was endorsed by the Nebraska Republican Party.

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Most local political observers expect Bacon to survive the Frei challenge. But they say he needs to consolidate conservative support without alienating swing voters in a swing district.

And which party controls the House could hinge on the 2nd District vote. With Republicans losing another seat to a retirement next week, their advantage will shrink to 217-213, at least until special elections and regular elections can be held.

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‘Best we’ve played all year.’ Trent Perry scores 20 points as UCLA routs No. 9 Nebraska

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‘Best we’ve played all year.’ Trent Perry scores 20 points as UCLA routs No. 9 Nebraska


The UCLA men’s basketball team made Senior Night one to savor Tuesday, dominating No. 9 Nebraska 72-52 at Pauley Pavilion for its 20th victory of the season and third over a top-10 ranked opponent.

The Bruins improved to 20-10 overall and 12-7 in the Big Ten with one regular season game remaining, Saturday at crosstown rival USC.

Trent Perry scored 20 points, Eric Dailey Jr. had 14 and three players — Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Xavier Booker — each added eight points.

“Nebraska’s got a great team,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “This is the best we’ve played all year — they brought out the best in us. We went from our worst defensive effort to our best. They outhustle everyone they play, but not us. Tonight we were great, but I love the way they play. If we had their attitude we’d have their record.”

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Eric Freeny had four points, five rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes for UCLA, which got 26 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points.

“Effort is what it takes to win in March,” Freeny said. “It was our last home game. Coach keeps on pushing me to be better everyday.”

Sam Hoiberg had 12 points to lead Nebraska, but Pryce Sandfort, who began the game leading the conference in three-pointers made per game, was held to nine points.

“Sandford has been unbelievable so to hold him to nine points is amazing,” Cronin said. “Brandon Williams was the unsung hero.”

Williams had six points and three rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.

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The Bruins were in control from the opening tip-off and never trailed the Cornhuskers (25-5, 14-5). UCLA improved to 10-3 in all-time against Nebraska and the win greatly strengthened its resume for the NCAA tournament as the Bruins also beat then-No. 4 Purdue 69-67 on Jan. 20 and then-No. 10 Illinois 95-94 in overtime on Feb. 21 on Donovan Dent’s layup with one second left.

“We have to take attitude we came with tonight, bottle it up and take it on the road,” Dailey Jr. said. “We’ve got so much left. The season’s not over… we’re only as good as our last game. It’s all about how you respond. I love the fight that we played with tonight.”

This is the fifth time in Cronin’s seven seasons that the Bruins have won 20 or more games. They are 17-1 at home (their only loss in overtime to Indiana on Jan. 31).

“Since I’ve been here we don’t lose much at home.” Cronin said.

UCLA went ahead by 15 points, 37-22, on Perry’s three-pointer with 2:41 left and led 37-24 at intermission. The Bruins shot 50% from the field in the first half (15 for 30) while Nebraska was only 31% (nine for 29).

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The Bruins increased their advantage to 18 points on Dailey’s dunk less than five minutes into the second half and the visitors got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

Prior to pregame introductions the Bruins honored seniors Bilodeau, Dent and Clark; fifth-year player Jamar Brown; redshirt seniors Steven Jamerson II, Jack Seidler and Anthony Peoples Jr; and redshirt junior Evan Manjikian. In a media timeout, midway through the first half, former coach Jim Harrick (who led UCLA to its 11th national championship in 1995) was honored and got a loud ovation.

“I’m happy for our seniors, I didn’t want them to lose their last game at Pauley,” said Perry, who reversed a subpar performance at Minnesota, where he was 0-for-7 from the field with one rebound and one assist in 26 minutes. “I had to come out here tonight and bounce back for my team. I play for something bigger than myself and I’m fortunate to have the type of guys I do around me.”

UCLA guard Skyy Clark looks to pass while under pressure from Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg and forward Berke Buyuktuncel in the second half.

(William Liang / Associated Press)

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Over the last four games, Dent has 46 assists and just two turnovers.

Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games played, totaling 20 points or more nine times.

Dailey moved to within five points of reaching the 1,000-career point milestone.

UCLA has now made at least one three-pointer in 887 of 888 games dating to February 2000.

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“We had one practice this week, that’s it,” Cronin said. “We watched film, had a heart-to-heart talk and a shoot around today but that’s it.”



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4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

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4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska


People across Nebraska and Kansas reported feeling an earthquake Sunday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale struck around 1 p.m. about 3 miles east of the Webster County village of Cowles, which is in south-central Nebraska near the Kansas border.

A quake of that magnitude is considered “light” and not likely to cause damage.

But the USGS received dozens of reports from people who said they felt the quake, some as far away as Omaha and Manhattan, Kansas. Numerous people took to social media to report feeling the quake.

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Two aftershocks of 2.6 magnitude later occurred near the original quake site, one about 90 minutes after the initial quake and one later Sunday night.

Earthquakes are relatively rare in Nebraska, but the state does usually record one or two minor ones per year. The last time Nebraska recorded a quake of a magnitude 4 or above was in December 2023, also in Webster County.



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Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on March 2, 2026

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The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 2.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

7-5-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-09-17-25

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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from March 2 drawing

Red Balls: 14-26, White Balls: 17-18

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from March 2 drawing

Month: 05, Day: 03, Year: 23

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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