A little more than a month before the statewide primary election, a candidate for Nebraska’s second congressional district has withdrawn from the race.
Democrat James Leuschen, a longtime Capitol Hill adviser and former policy director to Rep. Steny Hoyer, announced Monday that he’s backing out of the crowded Democrat primary in NE-02.
This narrows the field to six Democrats vying to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon:
- John Cavanaugh, Omaha State Senator, District 9
- Denise Powell, founder of the Omaha-based political action committee Women Run Nebraska
- Crystal Rhoades, clerk of the Douglas County District Court
- Kishla Askins, a retired Navy officer and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Melanie Williams, self-described Democratic Socialist and founder of the nonprofit Family Advocacy Movement
- Evangelos Argyrakis, a former immigration attorney who has been disbarred
On the Republican side, Brinker Harding, an Omaha city councilman, is unopposed in NE-02’s Republican primary. The Democratic primary’s top vote-getter on the May 12 primary ballot will advance to the November general election.
Leuschen’s campaign announced his withdrawal from the race in the following statement:
“Omaha isn’t just where Janelle and I chose to plant our roots — it’s home. It’s where I grew up, where my parents taught me the meaning of community and public service, and where I was given every opportunity to succeed.
As I’ve watched Donald Trump systematically threaten the very opportunities that made my story — and so many Nebraska families’ stories — possible, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. After two decades on Capitol Hill fighting for working families, I knew in my heart that I have the experience to take on Trump and hold him accountable.
But the truth is, running for Congress and being the father my three little boys need right now are two callings that I cannot fully honor at the same time. So today, I am withdrawing from the race for Nebraska’s Second Congressional District. I do so with a heavy heart and with deep gratitude to everyone who believed in and supported this campaign. While this wasn’t an easy decision, we have an exceptional field of Democratic candidates to choose from in this primary, and I have no doubt the eventual nominee will be successful in November.
Public service has never been a job to me. It has been a calling that started long before this campaign and that will continue long after it. Omaha, the state of Nebraska, and this country have given my family so much. I intend to spend the rest of my life finding ways to give that back.”