(NewsNation) — With 51.4% of the vote, NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Nebraska’s District 2 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of Rep. Don Bacon. See the results of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate races across the country here.
The race between Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and challenger state Sen. Tony Vargas was a rematch of the 2022 general election tilt that Bacon won by less than 3 percentage points.
The race was expected to be the most competitive among federal offices within Nebraska. The Cook Political Report categrozied the race as a toss up ahead of Election Day.
Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, entered the race seeking a fifth term. Meanwhile, Vargas – who has served two terms in the state legislature – was seeking to flip the seat for the Democrats, who are attempting to make headway in the race to control the U.S. House.
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Vargas attempted to run on a platform painting himself as a moderate Democrat who voted for tax cuts and property tax relief programs as part of the GOP-led Nebraska state legislature.
However, according to the Nebraska Examiner, Vargas has been portrayed by Republicans as a progressive who conveys centrist beliefs and yet votes for fewer limits on abortions and higher taxes on the wealthy.
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Among the biggest issues facing the candidates was abortion. Voters considered two opposing measures on the issue on Tuesday – one that provides for the right to abortion in the state constitution while the other would solidify the state’s current 12-week ban.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans control the chamber with a narrow majority of 220 seats while the Democrats occupy 212 and three vacancies.
