Powell and Harding duel it out in Nebraska 2nd District debate

LINCOLN — Democratic nominee Denise Powell and Republican nominee Brinker Harding dueled it out Wednesday in the second Nebraska 2nd Congressional District debate, hosted by Nebraska Public Media. 

Powell and Harding are competing to replace Rep. Don Bacon, who decided not to seek another term in Congress, in Nebraska’s most politically divided and diverse congressional district. The two also had a debate on ABC’s affiliate KETV last week. 

On Wednesday, the pair were asked questions on topics including the Iran war, affordability, bipartisanship, Social Security and immigration.

Throughout the debate, each tried to paint the other as extreme, as they’ve been doing throughout the campaign.

In opening remarks, Powell said she is running because she loves Nebraska and wants to address affordability. Harding said he also would address affordability and make Washington more accountable, while dismissing Powell as an outsider in Nebraska. 

Harding said the Iran war needs to “be settled as quickly as possible,” emphasizing that Nebraskans are feeling the “pain in the pump.” He added that Iran can’t be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.  

“We need to be energy independent, and we got lost under the Biden administration with the Green New Deal. That was something,” Harding said. “Now we have to rely on foreign despots and their energy, and so we need to get a quick resolution to that and bring the price of gasoline and fuel down.” 

Powell said she had been opposed to the war since the beginning, saying the Trump administration didn’t have a “good plan.” 

“This is not popular. We need to get a handle on this. … While I absolutely agree that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, nothing about this conflict or the way this administration is handling it is making America any safer,” Powell said, “On the contrary, I think it is putting us at great risk.” 

The two were asked what issues they would be willing to work on with the other party — as the slightly red-leaning 2nd District is known as a swing district. Powell said she would work across party lines on “everything.” Harding said his city council record shows he can be bipartisan. But Powell contended that his record doesn’t show him doing that. 

Harding said that in the primary, Powell was fighting for the “blue dot” and not for everyone else in the district. Powell pointed to Harding’s endorsement by President Donald Trump.

After a question about federal tax breaks to benefit private schools, Harding claimed that Powell supports “sex education” for kindergartners and “transgender surgeries” for minors. 

Powell said that is not true, saying she does “support comprehensive health education that is age-appropriate for kids in schools, and I support a parent’s right to decide whether or not that’s right for their kid.” 

“Of course I don’t support children having risky surgeries; I do believe that parents, their physicians and their children deserve to have the right to access information while navigating their difficult conversations,” Powell said. “That’s not why I’m running. I’m running because there are kids in this state that can’t go to a doctor anymore because their parents lost their health insurance.” 

Nationally, Republicans have used transgender rights as a wedge issue against Democrats, specifically whether trans athletes should be allowed to participate in girls’ sports. Some Democrats running have tried to distance themselves from the issue or called it a distraction. 

Libertarian Eric Michael Foreman is also running for the 2nd District seat. He wasn’t a part of the debate; he held a live conversation on X Space. 

There is one more debate between Harding and Powell later this week. The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting has already begun.