Nebraska
Bacon brings backup from Legislature to bash Vargas in 2nd District • Nebraska Examiner
OMAHA — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon brought some Republican friends from the Nebraska Legislature to the food fight in his Omaha-based 2nd District race against Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas.
Revenue Committee Chairwoman Lou Ann Linehan, Speaker John Arch and other GOP lawmakers helped Bacon amplify some of his recent criticisms of Vargas’ record.
Linehan, whose committee handles tax-cut proposals, relished reinforcing Bacon’s debate critiques that Vargas was often an impediment to passing property tax relief proposals.
She has skewered senators who claim credit for passing tax cuts but rarely provided her one of the 33 votes needed to break a filibuster until it’s clear a measure has overwhelming support.
“We have a saying down there that it’s hard to get to 33, but boy then do you get to 42,” she said. “The idea that he ran ads saying he fought for property taxes (relief) is just not true.”
Former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, who has been appearing more with Bacon after many have speculated he might run in the 2nd District when Bacon retires, supported Linehan’s criticism.
He worked with Vargas but said his participation in the Bacon press conference “was just business,” not personal. He said he struggled to get Vargas’ vote for income tax cuts.
“What you see on the advertisements is not particularly accurate,” said Lindstrom, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate who acknowledged interest in an open-seat 2nd District bid.
Vargas defends record
Vargas pointed during debates with Bacon to votes in support of $6 billion in tax cuts or tax relief. He also touted his being named a defender of taxpayers by a conservative organization.
Vargas said Wednesday in a statement that he was proud of his record of supporting tax relief and said that no amount of partisan machinations can change what he has done.
His defenders in the Legislature point to his work on the Appropriations Committee and call him a serious legislator who spent much of his time trying to steer funding.
“MAGA Republicans can say whatever they want three weeks before an election to try to keep Don Bacon in office, but my record is clear,” Vargas said in response to the press conference.
Vargas used the term MAGA, which is short for Make America Great Again, the campaign slogan of former President Donald Trump. He often points out Bacon has endorsed Trump three times.
Trump is popular statewide in Nebraska, and he won the 2nd District in 2016. But President Joe Biden beat Trump in the 2nd District in 2020, securing a stray Electoral College vote.
Nebraska and Maine award an electoral vote to the winner in each congressional district, as well as awarding two electoral votes to the winner of the presidential popular vote statewide.
Vargas supporters seek to tie Bacon to Trump and to tie Vargas to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. They argue Bacon enables Trump. Harris polls better than Trump in the 2nd District.
Bacon points to public spats between him and Trump over infrastructure funding and more and says he faced a primary challenger this spring for being insufficiently MAGA.
Bacon, Vargas spend final 2nd District debate swinging for undecideds
More than taxes
Bacon’s GOP crew did more than talk taxes. State Sen. Kathleen Kauth, an ally of police unions, slammed Vargas for supporting juvenile justice reforms that Linehan joined Vargas in backing.
Linehan acknowledged to reporters that she, like Vargas, had supported the broader criminal justice package that included the amendment making it harder to detain underage offenders.
She said the Legislature often has to compromise and that not everyone will support everything in a package that contains items they want to pass. Linehan is term-limited.
Kauth then bashed Vargas for opposing her legislation limiting access to some gender care for transgender minors and her bill seeking to restrict them from using certain school bathrooms and locker rooms.
“He did not support that at all,” Kauth said.
Some advocates for trans youth have argued that such legislation risks increasing the risks of self-harm and suicide to a population of children already at greater risk of suffering.
Kauth’s trans health care bill was combined with Nebraska’s current abortion ban, at 12 weeks gestational age, with exceptions for the life of the mother and for rape and incest.
Vargas supports abortion rights. Bacon has co-sponsored federal legislation that would have effectively banned abortion, and the language did not contain exceptions, though he has long said he supports exceptions.
Lately, Bacon has said he accepts Nebraska’s current ban as where the people are and said he would support Initiative 434, which largely sets current law as a ceiling but sets no floor.
Vargas and his campaign have criticized Bacon for trying to soften his abortion stance without acknowledging that Bacon co-sponsored legislation with no exceptions.
Bacon has argued that the legislation did not contain the word abortion and would not have penalized women getting an abortion. But legal experts said it would have made the procedure illegal.
On Wednesday, Bacon said that Vargas is emphasizing abortion because it’s “the only issue he has.” Bacon said voters care more about inflation and jobs, immigration and public safety.
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OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – President Donald Trump’s executive order to reclassify marijuana at the federal level is reigniting debate in Nebraska, where voters approved medical marijuana in 2024.
Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, directing federal agencies to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. The move does not legalize marijuana nationwide but opens the door for more medical research.
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers joined attorneys general from seven other states in releasing a statement saying they are “concerned” with the order. Hilgers said the science shows marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug.
Sen. Pete Ricketts also opposes the move. He signed a letter with 14 other Republican senators urging Trump not to reschedule marijuana. The letter argues marijuana is linked to mental health issues, impaired driving and workplace accidents.
Local medical marijuana advocate Lia Post disagreed with state leaders’ opposition.
“It just comes to the point, when is enough enough?” Post said.
Post said the argument from state leaders ignores what Nebraska voters decided in November 2024 when they overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana.
“It does open up the door for research, which really makes me happy, and the ability to speak to my doctor. It’s hard to be excited when you know you’re just a part of the big, giant grift that is going on,” Post said.
The federal change would allow the FDA to study marijuana’s medical uses. That could potentially help veterans, seniors, and people with chronic pain. Advocates said it also removes excuses for state leaders to delay implementation.
“I feel like we are in the exact same place we always are with the people wanting medical cannabis, the current law supporting medical cannabis, but the elected officials stopping medical cannabis,” Post said.
The federal rescheduling process could take several more months to finalize. The executive order does not legalize recreational marijuana. Trump made that clear Thursday, saying he is not open to that.
“It is a big deal, it is change, and change is always a big deal. Anything to do with medical cannabis and politics, I have to find the joy in whatever small wins there are, because there are so few,” Post said.
Copyright 2025 WOWT. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska football is bolstering its staff with the addition of a run game coordinator and a defensive edge coach.
On Friday, head coach Matt Rhule announced the hiring of run game coordinator Lonnie Teasley and defensive edge coach Roy Manning.
Teasley spent the last five seasons with South Carolina, serving as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach for the last three years.
He was also an assistant offensive line coach on Rhule’s Temple staff in 2014. Teasley also had stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Tech.
“Lonnie Teasley brings a wealth of offensive line coaching experience to our staff,” Rhule said in a press release. “Lonnie has had great success throughout his career and specifically has been one of the elite offensive tackle coaches in the country. He also has a proven track record as an excellent recruiter. Lonnie will make a positive impact on our coaching staff and the Nebraska Football program.”
Manning worked with new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich as a defensive edge coach at San Diego State in 2025. He helped the Aztecs rank among the nation’s top defenses.
Manning has also spent time coaching at USC, Michigan and Cincinnati.
“We are excited to add Roy Manning to our defensive staff,” Rhule said. “Along with Coach Aurich, he was a key part of the defensive transformation at San Diego State this past season. Roy has experience coaching defense from front to back and has coached at high-level programs throughout his career.”
Nebraska fired three assistant coaches following a lopsided loss to Iowa in November: defensive coordinator John Butler, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and defensive line coach Terry Bradden.
Aurich has been hired to lead the defense and Geep Wade is Nebraska’s new offensive line coach.
SEE ALSO: Report: Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to enter the transfer portal
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – With 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championships in Kansas City this season, many Nebraska fans made plans ahead time given the driving distance to Lincoln. The Huskers lost in the regional final at home yet many fans still attended the final four.
“We just want to watch high-quality volleyball, grow the sport, and it’s a competitive sport, and there’s still four very good teams here,” Elizabeth Wright, a life-long Nebraska Volleyball fan, said.
Hundreds of Husker faithful dawned their red Nebraska gear as they entered the T Mobile Center on Thursday night with their team not playing. When asked about which team Nebraska fans would support, the majority of interviewees said Texas A&M.
“Part of me wants to watch Texas A&M win just because they beat us, and if they win, it gives us a little validation that we lost to the best team,” Karla Huneke, a Grand Island native and Nebraska Volleyball fan, said.
Overall, the surprise of Nebraska not making the NCAA Volleyball Championship didn’t impact Nebraskans from attending the final four.
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