Decisive Democratic wins in Lincoln, Nebraska have left Democrats optimistic about their chances in some races next year.Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican whose Biden-won district covers Douglas and Saunders counties in the Omaha metro area, is among Nebraska Democrats’ top targets.Some Republicans blame their electoral shortcomings on social issues, particularly abortion. “This made the message clear to me how critical abortion will be in 2024,” Republican state Rep. Merv Riepe said. “We must embrace the future of reproductive rights.”
A decisive win by Democrats in hotly-contested local races in Lincoln could be indicative of the party’s chances next year, including in a presidential election where Nebraska’s Omaha-centered 2nd Congressional District has twice given an electoral vote to Democratic presidential candidates.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that allow their electoral votes to be split in presidential elections. That system has confounded Nebraska Republicans, who have been unable to force the state into a winner-take-all system since Barack Obama became the first presidential contender to shave off one of Nebraska’s five electoral votes in 2008. It happened again in 2020, when President Joe Biden captured Nebraska’s 2nd District electoral vote.
Democratic Party leaders see an opportunity to capitalize on Republicans’ hard shift to the right, particularly on religious and culture war issues — including the recent push across red states to target the transgender and LGBTQ+ community members, ban books from schools and libraries and vastly restrict abortion access. Those efforts are unpopular with the majority of voters, Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said Wednesday.
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