Nebraska State Sen. Tony Vargas bolsters fundraising in congressional bid

As the Nov. 5 election looms, Democratic Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas has raised more than twice as much in his bid for the Omaha area’s 2nd Congressional District as he did during his previous campaign.

Vargas, who came within less than three percentage points of beating Republican incumbent U.S. Rep Don Bacon in 2022, has aggressively bolstered his fundraising this time around.

Vargas raised $1.1 million, according to his most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission, which covered April 25 through June 30. He had $2.5 million in cash on hand. 

By comparison, Bacon raised about $726,000, his filing shows. He had $2.2 million cash on hand.

Contrast that with the same period in 2022, when Bacon had $1.2 million cash on hand heading into the election compared to $533,000 for Vargas.

“I’m grateful for the overwhelming level of support our campaign has received,” Vargas said in a statement emailed to the Nebraska Independent. “Our momentum only continues to grow every day.”

The national Democratic Party is pouring money into big swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but is also spending in Nebraska’s so-called “Blue Dot” 2nd District to help Vargas and peel off an electoral vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes. In Nebraska, two of the five votes for president are awarded based on the statewide vote; the other three are assigned based on the winner of the election in each of the state’s congressional districts. In 2020, then-Vice President Joe Biden won the electoral vote in the 2nd District to help block the reelection of Republican President Donald Trump.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved $1.26 million in broadcast TV ads in the Omaha media market to help Vargas.

“From now until November, the DCCC will continue meeting voters wherever they are – from TV screens to front doors – to make sure Nebraskans know Tony is the only candidate in the race focused on delivering for middle-class families,” said DCCC spokesperson Mallory Payne in an email to the Nebraska Independent.

Democratic groups have reserved more than $3.4 million in advertising in the district so far, including $1.89 million from House Majority PAC and $272,000 from 3.14 Action.

“It’s clear Nebraskans have had enough of Don Bacon caving to MAGA extremists and hurting middle class families, all to protect his political career,” Vargas said. “I have a proven record of putting Nebraskans first, including … bucking my party to pass two of the largest property tax cuts in state history, protecting reproductive freedom and creating good-paying jobs. This is exactly the leadership I’ll bring to Congress to keep delivering for Nebraska families.”

The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics recently rated the Vargas-Bacon race a toss-up.