Backed with 60+ endorsements spanning elected officials, educators, and national organizations, Powell is the candidate Nebraska’s Blue Dot can count on
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Omaha, NE – With one week until Nebraska’s May 12 Democratic primary, Denise Powell is entering the final stretch with undeniable momentum. Powered by a historic coalition of more than 60 local and national endorsements, record fundraising that outpaced every other candidate in the race, and a clear message that is resonating with voters across NE-02, Powell heads into Election Day as the clear frontrunner and the only candidate capable of protecting Nebraska’s Blue Dot.
Recent polling shows that Denise’s message is resonating with voters, giving her a commanding seven-point advantage after hearing both candidates’ message. As Powell’s momentum grows, her opponent, John Cavanaugh, has turned to desperate and false attacks – a sure sign his campaign sees the writing on the wall.
While Cavanaugh resorts to dishonest eleventh-hour attacks and name-calling, Powell is focused on what matters most: turning out voters who are ready to fight back against a Trump agenda that is raising the cost of living, gutting Medicaid, dismantling public schools, threatening abortion access, letting ICE terrorize our communities, and rigging the economy for billionaires.
Powell has spent years working alongside local leaders, building the relationships, the record, and the coalition needed to win NE-02 in November. She has outraised every candidate in the race, and is the only Democrat to outraise the lone Trump-endorsed Republican. There is real energy behind her campaign, especially as voters reject the risk that John Cavanaugh poses to the Blue Dot, abortion access, midterm redistricting, and more.
The 2nd Congressional District is one of the only districts in the country that awards an Electoral College vote independently. Democrats cannot afford to nominate a candidate who puts that vote, or this seat, at risk.
Powell’s endorsers include former NE-02 Democratic nominee Tony Vargas, Elect Democratic Women, BOLD PAC, Preston Love Jr., Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, former Congresswoman Annie Kuster, U.S. Representatives Emily Randall, Norma Torres, and Andrea Salinas, EMILY’s List, the Nebraska Democratic Party Black and Latino Caucuses, and dozens of local elected officials across Nebraska. For a full list, visit deniseforcongress.org/endorsements.
About Denise
Denise Powell is a mom, former executive, small business owner, public school champion and healthcare advocate who knows that a strong work ethic and a love of family and community is the Nebraska way of life. She also knows the Good Life is getting harder to come by. It’s why after Trump’s election she left a successful career in corporate America to focus on fighting for what makes Nebraska such a special place to live and raise a family. Over the past decade, she has supported hundreds of Nebraskans running for local office, protected our public schools and the families they serve, and helped stop extremists from passing abortion bans in the state.
Every day, we see more of our friends and neighbors struggling to make ends meet while Donald Trump and MAGA extremists are focused on trade wars that are increasing our cost of living and passing massive tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk. Strong families, strong businesses, strong communities – they ALL require work and investment, but everything we’ve fought for here at home is under threat. From dismantling Medicaid and making it harder for seniors to get the benefits they’ve earned, to dismantling education, from the University of Nebraska to our public schools, to attacking our veterans and ripping away women’s rights — Denise is running to fight for the people of Nebraska. We don’t need lip service from politicians, we need action.
For more information, visit deniseforcongress.org. For a high-resolution picture of Denise, click here.
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