None of the races for Nebraska's three U.S. House seats is more competitive than the 2nd District contest, which pits Republican incumbent Don Bacon against Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas. Recent polls showed the rematch of their 2022 race was tight heading into Tuesday. Two years ago, Bacon won with 51% of the vote. This time, Vargas is hoping to ride a wave of support for the Democratic presidential ticket that includes vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a Nebraska native. But Vargas is also aiming to draw heavily from independent and third-party voters, and even some disillusioned Republicans. Conversely, Bacon has touted himself as a bipartisan representative to draw voters from outside the Republican base.
