OMAHA, Nebraska — Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) was at ease, mingling with supporters and reconnecting with close friends in a small backroom of Johnny’s Cafe in a city that’s become an unlikely 2024 epicenter.
Dozens of voters exchanged niceties and took photos with one another as they grabbed drinks from the bar, piled their plates with food, and tucked themselves away into the booths and tables scattered around the room. They were there to support Bacon in the final stretch of his campaign as he battles for his political life in a district that could determine who controls the House and even the presidency.
But the Midwestern nice gathering on Wednesday also represented a test of whether a more centrist Republican who is not a full-throated Donald Trump supporter can survive in today’s politics.
2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE
As Bacon made the rounds greeting supporters, he was joined by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who traveled more than 1,000 miles to stump for the Nebraska incumbent ahead of Nov. 5. Gonzales is just the latest of several GOP lawmakers and party leaders to campaign for Bacon as vies for another term in the swing district.