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Candidates › NE-02 race › 2025–2026
Denise Powell
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, NE-02
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Won the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 114,116 votes (50.3%)
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Standing up for hardworking Nebraska families
- Working to strengthen our local and national economy
- Fight for Democracy, defend the Constitution and the nation
- Money
- $5.1M raised, $4.6M spent, $480.5K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 21% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 35% from Nebraska · largest committee giver ZINC COLLECTIVE PAC, $22.5K
- Outside groups
- $3.3M supporting, $186.9K opposing Powell
- Backed by
- New Democrat Action Fund · Tony Vargas · Dunixi Guereca and 75 more. As the campaign lists them
- Polling
- 46% in the latest poll (SurveyUSA). The polls
3 priorities from deniseforcongress.org, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
As a working mom and small business owner, I know how hard it can be to manage a family budget, especially when the cost of just about everything continues to skyrocket. From groceries to energy bills to healthcare, costs continue to rise, putting a major strain on families all across the district. In Congress, I will:
- Stop Trump’s illegal tariffs to help bring down the costs of items Nebraska families need every day.
- Expand clean energy production to bring down costs in the short term while protecting our environment in the long run.
- Build more high-quality, affordable housing that is attainable for first-time homebuyers and middle-class families.
- Fight to keep healthcare premiums down so that every family can afford to see a doctor when they need to.
- Address the need for more affordable, high-quality childcare, investing in Head Start programs and childcare centers, so that working parents have the support they need to get ahead while knowing their children are well cared for.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
Far too many families in this district find themselves forced to choose between seeing a doctor and paying their rent. Filling a prescription instead of filling the fridge. Many families are one health emergency away from financial ruin. In Congress, I will:
- Take on big pharmaceutical companies by requiring Medicare to negotiate prices for more prescription drugs and capping insulin costs at $35 a month for everyone.
- Taking on insurance companies that unfairly deny people coverage for needed health care.
- Work to create a Medicare-like public option that gives every American the choice of affordable coverage while protecting private insurance for those who want it.
- Build on the Affordable Care Act to make sure that – no matter how they access their health insurance – families aren’t forced to spend an unreasonable share of their income on premiums and deductibles.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
I’ve been defending reproductive rights in Nebraska for the past decade, from rallying physicians and patients to push back on a proposed total abortion ban, to collecting thousands of signatures on a ballot measure to protect access to care for Nebraska women. Beyond abortion rights, we must protect all aspects of reproductive healthcare – from protecting and broadening access to contraception, to expanding access to fertility treatments like IVF, to addressing the maternal healthcare deserts in our state – so that every woman has the choice to start or grow their family if and when they want to. In Congress, I will:
- Protect abortion rights for Nebraska women by fighting to restore Roe v. Wade into law nationwide.
- Fight to codify the right to contraception by supporting the Right to Contraception Act that would protect the right of people to obtain and use contraception and protect the healthcare providers who prescribe them.
- Work to pass legislation like the Right to IVF Act to expand insurance coverage for fertility treatments in health insurance plans, including for federal employees, veterans, and Medicare/Medicaid recipients.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
As a working mom in the sandwich generation, worrying about both my children and aging parents, I understand the importance of Social Security and Medicare. Our seniors worked hard for decades with the promise that there would be a basic safety net for them in their retirement – that they could retire with dignity. In Congress I will:
- Protect Social Security at all costs to ensure the promise of a secure and dignified retirement for all Nebraskans.
- Responsibly manage our deficits and debts so we leave a stronger, more stable future for the next generation.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
As a woman and a mother, the safety of our communities is of the utmost importance to me. No matter what part of our district you live in, you too, deserve to feel safe in your home, or when you’re walking in your neighborhood. In Congress I will:
- Fully fund our police departments, providing access to training and mental health support for our officers, and investing in social workers to help expand the way we address the needs of our communities.
- Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to protect survivors of domestic violence and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
- Save lives from gun violence by ensuring universal background checks to prevent convicted felons and gang members from obtaining guns, red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and fund community violence intervention programs.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
It is clear that Trump and Congressional Republicans would rather bail out corporations and billionaires than create a fair economy that works for everyone. To grow the middle class and bring down costs for hardworking families, we need to focus on helping Americans achieve true financial freedom—not just getting by, but getting ahead. In Congress I will:
- Increase funding and support of small businesses across Nebraska, giving them the tools they need to innovate, hire and grow.
- Protect the world-class research happening at institutions like UNMC by reversing funding cuts to key research programs that are not only important to the health of our communities, but are also an important driver of Nebraska’s economy.
- Ensure Nebraskans have the skills they need to fill good jobs in growth industries by expanding job training and apprenticeship programs.
- Push for more guardrails and regulation of artificial intelligence to ensure a balance between the need to invest in new technologies with the need to protect American jobs.
- Fight back against monopolies that drive up prices and price gouge consumers in order to give CEOs inflated bonuses.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
Trump’s tariff policies and bailout of Argentina have hurt Nebraska’s farmers and cattlemen, a critical part of our state’s economy. Our farmers aren’t looking for bailouts, they’re looking for fair markets. Small family farms should receive the same attention and investment we give our other small businesses. In Congress I will:
- Pass a long-term Farm Bill, which Congress has repeatedly let expire.
- Work to use tariffs to protect American farmers by targeting specific imported goods (like beef and soy beans) to boost domestic prices while using them as leverage to secure better trade deals and market access abroad.
- Push to use tariff revenue to fund Farmer Bridge Assistance programs, helping support impacted farms when there are disruptions.
- Advocate for Right to Repair to allow farmers to fix their own equipment and machinery.
- Expand access to loans and capital for small farmers so they can receive the support they need without getting gouged by Wall Street.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
Donald Trump gutted the Department of Education and has attacked schools and universities that provide so much value to our communities. I won’t let that stand. We can’t fuel American innovation if we’re not investing in a strong educational system, from early childhood education, to colleges and universities. And as a working mom who has been advocating for Nebraska schools for 16 years, I know how important high quality childcare, after-school programs and other school supports are to the wellbeing of our children AND to our family budget. In Congress I will:
- Expand affordable childcare, investing in new centers near the places where folks work, and advocating for legislation that expands Nebraska’s childcare workforce by paying these critical workers more without increasing costs for parents.
- Fight to expand the Child Tax Credit back to $3,600 and make it permanent, to ensure working families receive the support they need to care for their children.
- Strengthen our community colleges and state universities to help ensure we have the skilled professionals we need to keep our economy running.
- Invest in strong vocational and apprenticeship programs in our high schools to provide a path to good paying jobs in the fields that matter to Nebraska.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
I’ve talked to thousands of Nebraskans over the past decade and they’ve made their point clear: many have lost faith in the government and believe politicians are looking out only for themselves, and not the people they were elected to represent. Donald Trump has turned the U.S. Treasury into his personal piggy bank, enriching himself and his cronies on the backs of hardworking Americans. Nebraskans deserve better. In Congress, I will:
- Ban Congressional stock trading.
- Pass a lifetime ban on members of Congress from becoming lobbyists.
- Enact term limits in Congress to fight corruption and ensure new thinking and ideas.
- Pass an Ethics Code for the Supreme Court that bans special interest gifts, requires financial disclosure, and recusal requirements when there’s a conflict of interest.
- Overturn Citizens United and get dark money out of politics once and for all.
- Limit Presidential pardon power to ensure it’s not abused the way Trump is currently doing, pardoning convicted drug dealers and fraudsters.
- Work to address the very real issues of government waste so that we have the resources we need to invest in the right priorities.
- Make Congress a co-equal branch of government again that will act as a check on the Trump administration and combat his abuses of power.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
The Trump administration has done incalculable damage to the United States’ position on the global stage, from cutting critical diplomatic programs like USAID and withdrawing from the Paris Agreement to burning bridges with key allies like Canada and the European Union. We must balance the need to invest in border security, the military and our service members, while also rebuilding our key allyships. In Congress I will:
- Invest in the people and technology needed to keep our borders safe, while also advocating for common sense, bipartisan immigration reform that provides legal pathways to citizenship for hardworking people, helping grow Nebraska’s economy and key industries in our state, ranging from agriculture to hospitality to healthcare.
- Work with key members of the armed forces to strategically invest in capabilities (and service members) that allow us to defend against the very real threats presented by China, Russia, and others.
- Fight to reestablish USAID and other key U.S. programs, while also working to rebuild relationships with key allies to rebuild America’s position as a true world leader.
- Demand Congressional oversight of military measures, stopping Trump’s unchecked actions without a strategic plan and clear exit strategy.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities
As the daughter of immigrants, I believe fundamentally in the American Dream and in providing opportunities for those who want to work hard and contribute to our society to build a life here in the U.S. My parents taught me that we are a land of opportunity and a beacon of hope in the world, and I will fight to maintain that. Like most Americans, I believe in the need to protect and secure our borders to keep America safe. But Trump’s massive expansion of immigration raids and arrests without scrutiny threaten the safety of citizens, children and families, including numerous people shot and even killed, such as Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Trump has abused the power of the federal government, and these policies do nothing to make us safer. From my experience serving for six years on the board of Nebraska’s largest immigration legal support agency I know the system is difficult to navigate and legal pathways to citizenship are becoming fewer and fewer. In Congress I will:
- Support efforts to provide the personnel, training and technology needed to secure America’s borders.
- Work to create a fair path to citizenship for long term immigrants who have worked and paid taxes for decades as essential workers and Dreamers, and create legal avenues for workers needed to fill Nebraska’s essential roles in industries like agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and hospitality.
- Demand accountability for the abuses of power committed by Trump, Kristi Noem, DHS, and ICE and their flagrant disregard for the rule of law.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · deniseforcongress.org/priorities