Leaders in organized labor gathered in Omaha on the eve of Election Day, Monday, Nov. 2, to reaffirm their support for Denise Powell in the race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.
Those in attendance included Ron Kaminski, president of the Nebraska & Southwest Iowa Building & Construction Trades Council; Mike Gage, president of the Nebraska State AFL-CIO; and Keith Gamerl, business agent at Teamsters Local 554.
Standing before a lineup of rank-and-file members, the group offered brief remarks in support of Powell, the seat’s Democratic nominee, and then set out to continue canvassing efforts “in a final push to get out the vote.”
With the polls set to open in just a matter of hours, Powell, a communications and political consultant, said she’s feeling “hopeful” but “taking nothing for granted.”
“We know that this seat is not a given,” Powell said. “Nobody owes me their vote or their trust. It is on me to earn it. We’re gonna knock on a bunch of doors, keep talking to voters, and remind them of what’s at stake in this election.”
Getting out the vote
Kaminski said that, between his organization and the state AFL-CIO, their members have made “over 78,000 contacts” within NE-02 advocating for Powell, who faces Republican Brinker Harding for the seat.
“That’s all good and great, but what’s most important is for everybody to stand up, and get out there, and make their voice heard tomorrow, November 3,” Kaminski said.
“Our efforts include 17,600 doors knocked,” Gage added. “More than four times what we’ve done for any previous AFL-CIO-endorsed candidate in the 2nd District. This shows our resolve to elect Denise Powell, a friend and ally to working families, to represent us in Washington, DC.”
Powell told Courier Nebraska that the support from organized labor is “a testament to the real understanding that this election has so many consequences for working families, but also so many opportunities.”
“I’m so honored to have them in my corner,” she continued. “I want their partnership as much as their endorsement. I think their backing is an acknowledgment of my past efforts to fight for working families, including my advocacy for the minimum-wage expansion and paid sick leave.”
Powell’s priorities
Powell said her top three policy areas of focus to help working families include healthcare, ending the costly US-Israel war in Iran, and reining in the tariff regime of the Donald Trump administration.
“We need to do everything in our power to start bringing down costs because families are just drowning right now, and it is so clear that they don’t trust anybody to come and help them,” Powell added.
Having begun her campaign 18 months ago, Powell said it was “surreal” that the 2026 campaign season is almost over. She also offered a final message to voters before they hit the polls on Tuesday:
“Please vote,” she said. “Every seat on the ticket matters, from the top to the bottom. Don’t leave anyone out. Do your homework. Take your phone into the voting booth, or whatever you need. We have a huge opportunity to do big things in this state this election cycle. I’m so excited. I have so much hope, and I’m just asking people to find that hope deep within and show up tomorrow.”
Polls will be open in Nebraska from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central, or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can check your polling place with the widget below.
NE-02 continued reading:
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Healthcare, Medicaid cuts taking shape as key issue in NE-02 race
Powell vs. Harding: 3 key moments from Nebraska’s 2nd District congressional debate circuit
