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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.