Nebraska Republican Don Bacon to Announce Retirement from U.S. House

Bacon represents one of three districts that voted for Kamala Harris last year.

Multiple outlets are reporting this evening that U.S. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Republican, has decided not to run for re-election in 2026. He is expected to make his formal announcement next week - possibly on Monday. He becomes the 14th retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives this cycle, the eighth Republican to do so, and only the second leaving without running for another office.

Bacon, 61, has served Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2017. Based in Omaha, the district encompasses all of Douglas and Saunders Counties as well as northern Sarpy County.

Bacon spent 29 years in the U.S. Air Force - joining in 1985 and retiring as a Brigadier General in 2014. Before running for office, he was an aide to U.S Representative Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01) and an Assistant Professor at Bellevue University.

In 2016, Bacon was the Republican nominee for the 2nd District challenging one-term Democratic incumbent Brad Ashford. He ultimately regained control of the swing district for his party with a 48.9-47.7 plurality. Every cycle since then, he has been heavily targeted by Democrats. Despite the party winning the seat in the presidential elections in 2020 and 2024, Bacon has consistently been re-elected with a majority of the vote. He has served for five terms in office.

During the 119th Congress, Bacon serves on the House Committees on Agriculture; and Armed Services. Furthermore, he chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation. He becomes the fourth member departing the Agriculture panel - joining Republicans Randy Feenstra of Iowa and John Rose of Tennessee as well as Democratic Ranking Member Angie Craig of Minnesota. He’s notably the first member leaving the Armed Services committee this cycle so far.

With Bacon out of the race, Democrats may have their best opportunity in years to flip control of the 2nd District. Four candidates are already running for the nomination: attorney Evangelos Argyrakis, State Senator John Cavanaugh, ophthalmologist Mark Johnson, and Women Who Run Nebraska co-founder Denise Powell. So far, the primary looks to be a contest between Cavanaugh and Powell who have both received endorsements from multiple members of the state legislature. More candidates have talked about running as well. So, the primary could quickly get even more crowded.

No candidates have yet expressed interest in running for the Republican nomination to succeed Bacon in the 2nd District. While he represented the GOP’s best chance at holding the seat, the district is still expected to be competitive in the general election. Possible candidates include former State Senator Brett Lindstrom and Dan Frei, who challenged Bacon from the right during the 2024 primary. It wouldn’t be surprising if this became a crowded and competitive primary this cycle too.

Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District with a 51.6-47.0 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. That came as Trump was carrying the state 59.3-38.9 in his ultimately successful national campaign. Meanwhile, Bacon was re-elected with a 50.9-49.1 victory against Democrat Tony Vargas for his final term in office. The 2nd District is the most-Democratic seat in the country that is currently represented by a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives.