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.