Metro Community College’s South Omaha Campus served as the setting for a real who’s who for Nebraska Democrats on Tuesday, welcoming former US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to the city to campaign for Denise Powell, the Democratic nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, known as the “Blue Dot.”
In his roughly 20-minute stump speech, Buttigieg argued the race is winnable for Democrats if they organize, framing Powell as a forward-looking candidate and her Republican opponent, Brinker Harding, as aligned with the national Republican agenda and “politics as usual.”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb opened the event, recalling her past run-ins with Buttigieg following his unsuccessful bid for president in 2020, listing Omaha as one of his first stops post-campaign.
“Because he knows, just like Denise knows, that when you show up and organize, you can win anywhere,” she said. MCC’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing was packed with several hundred attendees.
Kleeb then introduced former state Senator and candidate for Douglas County Treasurer Tony Vargas, to a roaring applause. Vargas unsuccessfully ran to represent NE-02 in 2024, losing narrowly to incumbent Republican Don Bacon.
“It was never about me,” Vargas said. “Our country deserves leadership that stands up, that’s willing to fight. And the beautiful thing about this is, I get to stand here, I get to introduce my friend Denise Powell, who is going to get the job done… She’s the right person for this job. But the hardest thing about this is: we have work to do,” encouraging attendees to volunteer and get involved in Powell’s campaign, before bringing her to the stage.
“We are less than four months away from, what is arguably, one of the most critical elections in our lifetime,” Powell opened, introducing herself to attendees by sharing her family’s story and discussing her past advocacy work with immigrant communities, survivors of domestic abuse, and Planned Parenthood.
Both of Powell’s parents immigrated to the United States, her father from Chile and her mother from Cuba. Powell, 47, co-founded the Women Who Run political action committee, which is focused on electing women.
“There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for this state and everything that it’s done for us,’ Powell said. “But then 2024 happened and everything shifted. Donald Trump was reelected.”
Powell mainly criticized the Trump administration’s approach to healthcare, particularly the cuts to Medicaid put forth in the President’s landmark budget reconciliation package dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“It is terrifying out there for so many people,” Powell said. “And Brinker Harding has the gall to say that Trump is doing great things. He took that Trump endorsement proudly. He has embraced the MAGA label.”
As Buttigieg would mention later, Powell also criticized Harding for welcoming US House Speaker Mike Johnson to Omaha this weekend for a fundraising event.
“Mike Johnson and Donald Trump know that Brinker Harding is just a rubber stamp for their agenda,” Powell said. “We’re going to do big things in November. But I’m asking you to believe in me. This race isn’t about me, but I need your vote. Are you with me?”
The crowd filled the room with cheers and applause, which reignited when she brought Buttigieg to the stage.
Buttigieg’s Omaha stop comes days after he stumped in Altoona, Iowa, for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand. He told Nebraska’s neighbor that no state stays red forever when candidates deliver results for working families. He shared a similar message with Omaha voters.
“Most people don’t get up in the morning thinking about Democrats and Republicans. But people do have a very deep sense of right and wrong,” Buttigieg said. “There is no such thing as a permanently red or blue district or county or state… God does not belong to a political party in the United States.”
The 44-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, echoed calls for a new generation of political leadership.
“Our country, and frankly, my party right now, has to do some work to face the fact that there is no going back,” Buttigieg projected over applause. “There’s no going back to the old status quo. Nor should we try. Obviously, the current cruelty and chaos can’t get us where we need to be as a country, but neither can the old politics as usual.”
Buttigieg characterized Powell as a candidate who “understands not just what we have to stand up against, but what we have to stand for.”
“She’s somebody who can look to the future and embodies that idea of out with the old ways and in with something new and better… and we can absolutely do better than Denise’s Republican opponent, Brinker Harding,” he said, knocking the Republican nominee for his stances on abortion, cuts to healthcare, and increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Maybe while Mike Johnson is here, you can ask him and Brinker Harding to explain why the Speaker spent four months actively blocking the release of the Epstein files,” Buttigieg added.
Powell and Buttigieg were swarmed by supporters following the event for selfies and handshakes.
A spokesperson for Harding’s campaign told WOWT following the event:
“Make no mistake — campaigns in NE-02 are won by earning the trust of Nebraska voters and building a broad local grassroots coalition, exactly what Brinker Harding has done from the very beginning. While Denise depends on out-of-state donors and foreign billionaire-funded groups, Brinker is focused on delivering commonsense solutions that make life more affordable, keep our communities safe, and hold the political class accountable.”
Voters in Omaha will decide the fate of the “Blue Dot” and their next congressional representative on November 3.
