- Denise Powell leads John Cavanaugh by 1,080 votes in the Democratic primary, as of 6 p.m. Wednesday
- 5,125 Democratic mail-in and drop box ballots remain to be counted in Douglas County
- Results of those mail-in and drop box ballots are expected to be released on Friday
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Denise Powell leads John Cavanaugh by 1,080 votes in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary, as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office. The race has not yet been called. 5,125 more mail-in and dropbox ballots are still being counted in the Democratic primary in Douglas County, with results expected to be released Friday, according to Douglas County Election Commissioner Danielle Jensen.
What started as a Cavanaugh advantage turned into a Powell advantage by the end of election night on Tuesday.
Powell said she is encouraged by where the race stands.
"I feel cautiously optimistic about the odds. And I'm just really proud of this campaign. I'm proud of what we did to get this far," she said in an interview on Wednesday.
Powell said she plans to keep talking with voters while awaiting the final count.
"Our hope is that this Friday, we just run straight through the tape, and onto the general and so the work continues," she said.
Cavanaugh's campaign declined an on-camera interview. In a statement, campaign manager Katie Bartizal said: "I'm so grateful to the volunteers and supporters who powered this campaign. Every vote counts and we're letting the process play out to ensure every ballot is counted."
Paul Landow, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Nebraska Omaha, said Cavanaugh faces a difficult path given his current deficit and the limited number of ballots remaining.
"It's gonna be really hard for him to make that up," Landow said.
In the final weeks of the primary, both candidates called out each other's ads — a dynamic not often seen in this race in Omaha. Landow said spending by campaigns and PACs favored Powell, adding that overcoming that financial disadvantage would have been a significant feat for Cavanaugh.
"And for John Cavanaugh to have overcome that would have been an amazing thing," Landow said.
Powell framed the race in broader terms, connecting it to national politics.
"This isn't just about me as a candidate. This isn't even just about my campaign. This is about putting the brakes on some of the things that this administration is doing that's hurting our communities, and I have faith that people are gonna rally around that because they know that this district represents a tremendous opportunity for us to do that," Powell said.
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