Outside money pours into Nebraska’s second congressional district race

Published: Oct. 21, 2022 at 10:38 AM EDT
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - All eyes are on Nebraska’s 2nd district, with Cook Political Report declaring the race a toss-up.

That means a lot of outside money is flowing inside this race.

67%of Bacon’s campaign donations are coming from out of state.

46% of Vargas’ donations are from outside Nebraska.

While outside influence attempts to swing a victor, the candidates are focused on the issues.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 38% of potential voters say their biggest concern is rising prices. For Rep. Don Bacon, that starts at the pump.

“We shouldn’t be importing a drop of oil from Venezuela or OPEC. We can produce our own prices go down,” said Bacon. “You control reckless spending if you have an energy policy for independence. We’ll get inflation under control.”

For Tony Vargas - curbing inflation starts with the big picture.

“I have worked on economic development plans and bills that created jobs that increased opportunities incentivize higher wage jobs,” said Vargas. “You know, we worked with businesses to do that. But we also one of the best ways is is controlling our spending.”

Another big issue for voters: immigration.

Congressman Bacon says he supports legal immigration as a means of filling Nebraska’s labor shortages, but a focus needs to be on the border.

“We need to reinstate some of the policies that President Trump had. Whether it’s remain in Mexico, perhaps it’s stopping catch and release,” said Bacon. “We need to we need to have a more physical security at the border.”

For Vargas, the son of two Peruvian immigrants,it’s important to address both drug and human trafficking issues at the border.

“We need to make sure that public safety is enforced and supported, but we also need to make sure that we’re providing an earned pathway to citizenship[,” said Vargas.

With this summer’s fall of Roe, abortion rights have become an acutely polarizing issue this election cycle.

“I am pro-life. I’m a Christian. I’m going to advocate for the unborn child as humanity. There I believe are created in God’s image,” said Bacon.

“I think about my daughter. I think about what their future looks like, what their privacy and what their health care freedoms really look like,” said Vargas. “I want to make sure I’m protecting that freedom. I want to protect that privacy. And that means respecting individual woman’s decisions, these difficult decisions and making sure they keep between them and their doctors.”