“As a nonprofit executive who has created jobs and helped provide thousands of Nebraska families with sustainable, safe and affordable housing, Kara Eastman has a record of accomplishment that will resonate deeply in this community. These primary results show Kara is running strong and she is well positioned to win this fall.” -DCCC Spokesman Evan Lukaske
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To: Interested Parties
From: Evan Lukaske, DCCC regional press secretary
Date: May 16, 2018
Re: The Case Against Don Bacon
The general election for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is set and creates a strong matchup in this swing district. The race pits partisan rubber-stamp Congressman Don Bacon against nonprofit executive Kara Eastman. The contrast here is clear—despite promising to work in a bipartisan manner, since Bacon arrived in Washington he’s voted down the line with his party leaders on nearly every important issue, from repealing health care to supporting a Tax Scam that lines the pockets of big corporations and the rich. On the other hand, Eastman has pledged to bring a pragmatic, problem-solving approach to Washington. Critically, Eastman has actually gotten results for this community, raising more than $13 million to support sustainable housing in Omaha.
The primary results reveal unprecedented Democratic energy in this swing district. After a positive, issues-based campaign, nearly 40,000 NE-02 voters turned out for the 2018 Democratic primary, an eye-popping number considering that only 26,000 voters turned out for the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. The grassroots energy will provide Eastman with a financial boost, as well. Eastman will receive more than $128,000 in nominee funds from ActBlue and Swing Left designated for the winner of the primary, with more to come.
With unprecedented Democratic energy and Eastman’s compelling profile, its clear that this will be a competitive matchup.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Republican Don Bacon is one of the most vulnerable House incumbents in the country.” [Nathan Gonzales, 4/27/18]
“The Senate’s failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has left House Republicans who voted for their own health care bill in an awkward position that Democrats are eager to exploit. That’s especially true in competitive races such as Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd District, where Rep. Don Bacon declared himself a ‘hell yes’ vote for the Republicans’ Affordable Health Care Act.” [Omaha World-Herald, 8/21/17]
“As for Bacon, Democrats will attempt to paint him as a follow-the-party-line Republican and try to turn that into a liability […] Bacon has voted with Trump and the Republican House leadership 96.6 percent of the time.” [Omaha World-Herald, 1/1/18]
HEADLINE: “Trump’s looming trade war gives Democrats an opening in farm country” [Reuters, 4/19/18]
DON BACON: PARTISAN SWAMP CREATURE
Tax Scammer
Bacon’s vote for the GOP Tax Scam, a massive giveaway to big corporations and the rich, will be an anchor on his candidacy. Since the Tax Scam’s debut and subsequent passage, it remains a deeply unpopular piece of legislation. Last month, a WSJ/NBC News poll found the tax plan underwater. Ominously, just more than half of Republicans thought the plan was a good idea.
On the trail, Bacon will have to explain to voters why 83% of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest one percent, why big corporations deserve larger tax cuts than middle-class families, why companies that have announced nearly $400 billion in stock buybacks are simultaneously laying off workers, and why he voted to blow a $1.9 trillion hole in the deficit. Speaker Ryan may be retiring, but not before making a clear, problematic declaration that Republicans like Bacon will have to address: the Republicans intend to use the deficit hole to slash Medicare and Social Security.
Significantly, the bill also gutted the Affordable Care Act and the nonpartisan CBO found it will increase health care premiums in the Cornhusker State.
Voted to Repeal Health Care
Further cementing his swamp creature bona fides, Bacon voted for the deeply unpopular Republican health care repeal bill, which would have gutted pre-existing condition protections, imposed an age tax, increased deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, and done nothing to lower the price of prescription drugs.
Most disturbingly of all, Bacon’s support for repealing healthcare only increased when a new version of the legislation further gutted pre-existing conditions, saying, “I’ve changed my vote, from ‘yes’ to ‘hell yes.’”
Had the bill passed, Bacon’s vote would have resulted in more than 55,000 of his constituents losing their health care coverage. Moreover, the Urban Institute released a report earlier this year estimating that due to House Republican attacks on health care, individual market premiums will increase for Nebraska families by an average of 20.4% – the 7th highest rate increase of any state.
Republican Rubber Stamp
On the campaign trail last election, Bacon pledged to work in a bipartisan way to address the core issues important to Nebraskans. Unfortunately, numbers don’t lie. Bacon votes with his party more than 97% of the time, illustrating that despite his rhetoric, Bacon has spent his short time in Congress rubber-stamping a deeply harmful Republican agenda. Of course, Bacon voted to repeal health care for thousands of his constituents and for the GOP Tax Scam, a massive giveaway to big corporations and the rich.
Bacon has also taken ideological positions far to the right of this moderate, highly educated district. Bacon voted to repeal a federal regulation that banned discrimination against family planning providers, opening the door to allowing individual states to deny funding for Planned Parenthood and similar operators that provide health care and family planning services to women. Next, Bacon voted for concealed carry reciprocity, which guts state gun laws and effectively turns the weakest state’s gun laws into a federal standard. He also voted to block the Social Security Administration from sharing gun purchase information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System on people with mental disorders. Unbelievably, he also voted against disaster relief funding.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is the kind of district that continues to favor Democrats in 2018. A 71% suburban district, the 2nd has the most college graduates of Nebraska’s congressional districts and is the most affluent, making it a true swing district. President Obama won the district in 2008, former Congressman Brad Ashford unseated incumbent Lee Terry in 2014 and President Trump won the district by a mere 2 points in 2016. In the 2012 Senate race, Democrat Bob Kerrey carried the district, even as he lost the overall race by 16 points.
Nonprofit executive Kara Eastman is well positioned to run a competitive race. Eastman’s work to provide green, safe housing to Omaha resonates in this highly educated district. Championing affordable health care, education and job creation, Eastman’s pragmatic, problem-solving approach to governance fits a district that craves consensus builders who can find common ground.
The 2018 primary election revealed unprecedented Democratic energy in this swing district. Remarkably, nearly 40,000 NE-02 voters turned out for the 2018 Democratic primary, compared to only 26,000 voters for the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
The grassroots energy will provide Eastman with a financial boost, as well. Eastman will receive more than $128,000 in nominee funds from ActBlue and Swing Left designated for the winner of the primary.