OMAHA, NE (KMTV) — Denise Powell pulled ahead of her opponent in the Nebraska 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary Tuesday night, sending her watch party into celebration — though a final result may not come until Friday when the last mail-in ballots are counted.
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Powell trailed early in the evening as Cavanaugh led with early voters, but with each new vote tally, Powell inched closer. She took the stage at 10 p.m., still behind by a few hundred votes. About 45 minutes later, Powell pulled slightly ahead of Cavanaugh and her watch party erupted in cheers.
"Thank you to every other candidate who ran in this race, in every other race. It takes guts to step into the arena and you have my respect and my gratitude for stepping into the arena, especially at this moment in our shared history," Powell said.
Supporters had different reasons for backing her campaign.
"I have known her for about 4 or 5 years now and I worked alongside her for women who run and she is just an amazing person," said Lisa Driver, a Powell campaign volunteer. "She works so hard, she cares so deeply for the community. And that's what we need."
North Omaha community advocate Preston Love Jr. said his support came down to one question: "My key factor in who I was going to support — and it turned out to be Denise — was that who would be best for North Omaha."
If Powell wins the primary, she faces the challenge of winning over voters who supported Republican Don Bacon, who is now retiring. Powell says rising costs could be a unifying issue.
"Unfortunately, this affordability crisis does not discriminate between Democrat and Republican, so I think if we can bring folks together around that central message we're going to be successful in November," she said.
A final result in the race is not expected until Friday.
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