Pete Buttigieg Visits Omaha to Support Denise Powell for Congress

What Happened in Omaha?

Imagine a town rally like a school event, but for politics! On Tuesday (July 14, 2026), a man named Pete Buttigieg — who used to be the U.S. Transportation Secretary (the person in charge of national roads, bridges, and travel plans) — came to Omaha, Nebraska.

He showed up at Metropolitan Community College’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing (near 27th and Q streets) to support a candidate named Denise Powell. She is the Democratic (one of the two big U.S. political parties) candidate for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District — that means she wants to be the person who represents that area in the U.S. Congress (the group that makes federal laws).

Important Point: Buttigieg was there specifically to back Powell as she runs for Congress against other candidates.

Buttigieg’s Bigger Road Trip

Buttigieg isn’t just stopping in Omaha. He has been traveling all around the Midwest (the middle part of the United States, like Nebraska and Iowa) to help Democrats in close races.

• Earlier in the same week, he went to Iowa to campaign for Rob Sand, who is running to be that state’s governor (the boss of the state, like a principal of a state).
• His Omaha stop was part of this tour to rally (get excited and gathered) Democratic voters.

What Did the Supporters Say?

Before the rally started, people stood outside the college. They shared why they came. Think of them like neighbors telling you what bugs them:

• Heather Schommer said: “I think it is horrible that the voters have voted for the minimum wage raise (a law to pay workers more per hour), for medicinal marijuana (a plant used as medicine), and our elected officials are not listening to our voice and doing the exact opposite. That is a huge problem.”
• Katie Cummings wants economic help for workers: “I think the minimum wage should be raised. I think that would help everyone: the city, the community — everyone from top to bottom — it would help.”
• Steven Dawes cares about the constitution (the rulebook for the country): “Preserving the constitution right now. It is a battle from day to day — it is under attack.”
• Gedi Murauskas said voters should take power back from special interests: “We need to flip both houses — the Senate and the House of Representatives (the two parts of Congress). We need government to work for the people and not for big money interest and corporations.”
• Steve Bryant said the rally was just the start: “There are a lot of things that we want to see get done this election. So the process starts here and that is why we are here.”

What Did the Candidates Say?

Buttigieg told the crowd that Powell can fix what voters worry about:

“Denise Powell is someone who understands not just what we have to stand up against, but what we have to stand for. She is somebody who can look to the future and embodies that idea of out with the old ways and in with something new and better.”

Powell talked about her Republican opponent (the person from the other big party running against her), Brinker Harding, who is an Omaha City Councilman (a local lawmaker for the city). She mentioned that House Speaker Mike Johnson (a very powerful Republican in Congress) is coming to raise money for Harding:

“He is going to try and convince you that he is a different kind of Republican, but he is not. He has Speaker Mike Johnson coming here to fundraise for him this week because Mike Johnson and Donald Trump know that Brinker Harding is just a rubber stamp for their agenda.”
(A “rubber stamp” means he will just say yes to whatever they want.)

GOP Response (The Other Side Talks Back)

Races for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District have always been like a close sports match, but this year is extra wild because Rep. Don Bacon (the person who had the job for 10 years) is stepping down. That makes the seat (the job) wide open.

Harding is running against Powell and a Libertarian candidate named Eric Michael Foreman in the November election. Soon, Harding will get his own famous visitor: Mike Johnson will be at his event.

On Tuesday, Harding’s team sent a statement reacting to Powell’s event. In simple words, they said:

• They nicknamed Powell “Dark Money Denise” and said she brought in “failed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg” as help.
• They claimed she has not earned support from local Democrats who backed another primary candidate (John Cavanaugh).
• They said she relies on out-of-state donors (people from other states giving money) and foreign billionaire-funded groups (super-rich people from other countries’ groups).
• They said Harding is winning by listening to Nebraska voters and building a local grassroots coalition (regular local people working together), and focuses on making life cheaper, keeping communities safe, and holding politicians accountable.

Important Point: Both sides are bringing in big-name helpers and saying the other side is controlled by outside money.

Summary

Pete Buttigieg visited Omaha on July 14, 2026, to support Democratic congressional candidate Denise Powell at a rally. He is touring the Midwest to help Democrats in tight races. Local supporters shared concerns about wages, medicine laws, the constitution, and big-money influence. Powell criticized her Republican opponent Brinker Harding and his tie to Mike Johnson. Harding’s campaign fired back, saying Powell uses outside money while Harding builds local support. The race is extra important because the long-time representative is retiring.

FAQ

1. Who is Pete Buttigieg?
He is a former U.S. Transportation Secretary (the nation’s top person for transportation like roads and airports) who is now campaigning for Democratic candidates.

2. What is Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District?
It is the area around Omaha that gets to pick one person to represent them in the U.S. Congress. It is often called the “blue dot” because it sometimes votes Democratic in a mostly Republican state.

3. Why is this election special?
Because Rep. Don Bacon is retiring after 10 years, so the seat is open and both parties are fighting hard to win it.

4. What did supporters want?
They wanted elected officials to listen to voters on things like raising the minimum wage, allowing medicinal marijuana, protecting the constitution, and reducing big-money control.

5. What did Harding’s campaign say about Powell?
They said she depends on out-of-state and foreign billionaire money, while Harding focuses on local people and common-sense solutions.