Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon cites political dysfunction in deciding not to seek reelection

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, announced Monday he will not seek reelection next year amid an increasingly polarized political climate.

Bacon, 61, said at a news conference at Omaha’s airport that he would not seek a sixth term representing Nebraska’s second district with its so-called blue dot that includes many progressive voters around Omaha.

Bacon has had to navigate an ever-thinning line between staying in his party’s and President Donald Trump’s good graces without alienating his increasingly Democratic district. He said he is proud of his bipartisan approach in the face of bitter partisanship in Washington.

“It is disconcerting to get attacked from the right,” Bacon said.

Bacon said he believes he could win the district again, but wants to spend more time with his family in Omaha.

“I think it’s time for a new Republican to be your nominee that can do 12-14 hours a day and hold this seat,” Bacon said.

Bacon said in “this district, you got to win swing voters. It’s just a fact of life.” But Republicans will have a good shot at keeping the seat in 2026, he said, because he believes Democrats in the race so far appeal mainly to the hard left.

An Air Force veteran first elected in 2016, he won reelection in 2024. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and has been at the center of many debates in Congress. He has also been chairman of the conservative-centrist Republican Main Street Caucus in the House. He plans to finish his term.

Bacon has earned a reputation as a centrist — an increasingly rare designation among Republicans as the party has moved farther to the right. But he has long acknowledged that moderation is a necessary attribute for anyone seeking to represent the Omaha-centered district, which is closely divided between Republican and Democratic voters.

Nebraska is one of two states that doesn’t follow a winner-take-all system of awarding Electoral College votes. Instead, Nebraska and Maine allow presidential electoral votes to be split by congressional district. Bacon’s district has seen its electoral vote go to a Democratic presidential candidate three times — to Barack Obama in 2008, to Joe Biden in 2020 and to Kamala Harris in 2024.