The Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) held its annual Life & Liberty Gala on Saturday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, drawing a record 1,600 attendees to the sold-out event, including numerous elected officials and candidates for public office.

Headlining the evening were Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who has become a national advocate for restricting women’s sports to biological females, and Kirk Cameron, an actor best known as Mike Seaver on the sitcom Growing Pains, who has since become a conservative Christian activist and author.

Girls Sports on the Ballot

Among NFA’s most recent victories was helping gather more than 211,000 signatures to place the “Fairness for Girls” amendment on the ballot this fall — the largest signature haul ever submitted for a Nebraska ballot measure.

The measure would write into the Nebraska Constitution the restriction on girls’ sports by biological sex enacted in the Stand With Women Act, which Gov. Jim Pillen signed in 2025. This move would make it far harder for a future Legislature — or bodies such as the University of Nebraska Board of Regents — to reverse the policy.

“This issue really is common sense,” NFA Executive Director Nate Grasz told The Plains Sentinel. “It’s about safety. It’s about fairness, about doing the right thing for the next generation of women and girls in Nebraska. There’s overwhelming support, and we’re excited that we have this opportunity on the ballot this November.”

The issue is personal for Gaines, who came to national prominence in 2022 after competing against — and being required to undress in front of — biological male Lia Thomas in the women’s 200-yard freestyle final at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta. The two tied for fifth place.

Gaines told the crowd the scene felt less like championship swimming than a late-night parody.

“I look over at the lane next to me, and there’s what is very obviously a man, standing at six-foot-four, size fifteen feet, taking up the entire diving block,” Gaines said. “Visible from his side profile is not only his Adam’s apple, but the bulge in his women’s swimsuit. It was like we were living out an SNL skit, when SNL was actually kind of funny, or a Babylon Bee headline.”

What stayed with her, she said, was not only frustration but betrayal by the NCAA and her sport in the 50th anniversary year of Title IX.

“I felt so betrayed by an institution that I loved, that I trusted, an institution that I dedicated my life to,” Gaines said. “Without even a blink of an eye, they were throwing our rights as women — our rights to equal opportunity, to privacy in areas of undressing, to safety in our sports — out the window.”

Gaines has since married fellow former Kentucky swimmer Louis Barker and now has an 11-month-old daughter, Margot. Motherhood, she told the audience, sharpened the reason she keeps speaking.

“It sounds like it’s in the job description for parents, but defend your kids,” Gaines said. “I can’t tell you how many parents reach out to me who say, ‘Look, you keep fighting. I’ve got a daughter in middle school or high school, and she’s facing this. Can you do something for her too? I have a job. I don’t want to lose my job.’ I always ask myself then, do I have to care about your kid more than you do? As a mom myself now, I certainly say it’s worth it. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my child.”

Grasz opened his own remarks with a similar note. His wife had just given birth to their third child and was unable to attend the gala.

“There’s something special about holding a newborn baby in your arms,” Grasz said. “It has a way of just putting everything else into perspective. When you’re holding that child and you see that little face staring back at you, you pretty quickly start to wonder about the type of country they’re going to inherit.”

Reformers pushing back against a hostile culture

In his keynote address, Cameron divided people into two categories: “reporters” and “reformers.” Reporters, he said, traffic in problems, fear, and outrage and rarely get to solutions. Reformers look for light-filled alternatives and then act.

“This is what NFA is doing. This is who Nate [Grasz] is. He is a reformer,” Cameron said. “These are the guys I want to hang out with. Reformers change the world.”

Cameron, who became a Christian at 17 while still starring on Growing Pains, has spent recent years in public-library fights as much as in studios. In 2023 he launched the “See You at the Library” effort, reading his children’s book As You Grow — a story built around the fruit of the Spirit — after more than 50 public libraries initially refused him even as they hosted Drag Queen Story Hour events.

“If you want to show up as a guy in a dress and stilettos, it’s a yes,” Cameron said. “But you want to come and talk about faith, hope, kindness, faithfulness, and goodness, it’s a hard no.”

He said libraries later reversed course under pressure, the readings spread to cities including Indianapolis, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, and the Department of Education later invited the project to the Library of Congress.

Cameron held up King Alfred the Great as a model of Christian leadership under siege. In the ninth century, Viking armies drove the Christian king of Wessex from his castle as they burned their way across Britain. Alfred then gathered faithful men and marched them 50 miles to battle, defeating the Viking leader Guthrum. Then, rather than beheading him, as was the custom of the age, Alfred offered him baptism and a share of the kingdom if he would convert, which Guthrum did.

“Alfred was not waiting for someone else to rescue him,” Cameron said. “He was not sitting on his couch as the culture deteriorated, watching Fox News with his head in his hands, crying in his Chick-fil-A soup, hoping for the rapture.”

Engaging politics with faith

The Plains Sentinel asked Cameron after the event what he hoped the audience would take away. He said Christians should focus not just on electing candidates, but first on raising the next generation with biblical values.

“I think the big takeaway is that people, as Riley said, defend your children,” Cameron said. “So much of the change that needs to happen has got to happen in the hearts and minds of our children as we play the long game and raise them in our homes, not just getting the next governor elected.”

Grasz struck the same note from the stage, urging Christians not to treat politics as off-limits.

“The biggest myth in our society that led us to this place — where men are competing against women and children are trying to change their gender — has been to convince people that Christians have to avoid government and politics, and that isn’t biblical,” Grasz said. “That’s a strategy to silence Christians on the most important issues of our time. Because when Christians disengage, we create a gap, and that gap gets filled by everything except the truth.”

Cameron told The Plains Sentinel the political landscape can still shift if biblically minded citizens stay in the fight.

“I think it definitely could change if people wake up and they get involved like they are here in Nebraska,” Cameron said.

Former Mayor Jean Stothert was a guest speaker at the River City Republicans’ luncheon last week. She spoke about the state of the city a little more than a year after she left office in 2025.

“I’ve been at the ball game every day at the College World Series,” Stothert said. “One of the things I love doing is asking people from out of town who have never been here, ‘What do you think of Omaha?’ And I hear two main things all the time: ‘I feel so safe here,’ and ‘It’s so clean here.’”

While Omaha has remained a relatively safe city for a metropolitan area its size, Wednesday last week was an unusually violent day. Six people lost their lives — four in apparent murder-suicides, one in a shooting, and one in a fire. All the deaths are under investigation by the Omaha Police Department.

“Omaha is a safe city with low homicide and violent crime rates. But today is a profoundly sad and difficult one,” Omaha Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. and Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said in a joint statement. “This time last year, there were nine homicides. Today, we added three names to that list, bringing the total to seven. One loss is too many.”

Stothert believes Ewing is not placing enough focus on crime.

“My first priority for 12 years was public safety, and I said that should be every mayor’s first priority — keeping the city safe,” Stothert said. “His first priority is affordable housing. He doesn’t even have public safety in his list of priorities.”

Councilwoman Aimee Melton agreed.

“I’m pretty sure a College World Series team’s bus probably never got robbed with your man. Just saying,” she said, referring to an incident over the weekend in which $35,000 worth of photography equipment was stolen from the Troy University baseball team’s bus.

Both Stothert and Melton credited Omaha’s relatively low crime rate to the efforts of law enforcement, including Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine. Kleine has served as county attorney for 20 years and is up for reelection. Melton warned that his potential replacement would not be a change for the better.

“We cannot lose Don Kleine,” Melton said. “I can tell you we will start seeing low bonds. We will start seeing cases getting dismissed. I think you’ll also probably see an exodus of a lot of the deputy county attorneys that have been there for years.”

Stothert also warned Republicans not to take any election for granted. She cited her 2006 race for state senate against Steve Lathrop as an example.

“I lost on a recount of provisional ballots by 14 votes,” Stothert said. “So when people say, ‘My vote doesn’t count, oh gee, I’m not going to come out and vote’ — oh my goodness. In Omaha, the voter turnout was 27%. That drives me crazy, because every vote does count.”

On Monday evening, KFAB hosted a “Welcome Back Baker” party at Lansky’s in Omaha, celebrating the return of its longtime afternoon host, Chris Baker, to the airwaves.

Baker has spent time in the radio wilderness over the past few years—a journey he likened to a story of Biblical proportions.

“A friend of mine compared me to Jonah,” Baker said. “He said, you caused a lot of trouble. And then you got on a boat, and the fisherman said, ‘You’ve caused a lot of trouble, get out of here,’ and they threw you off the boat. That’s when the whale swallowed him and took him where God wanted him to be.”

Baker left the airwaves in April 2021 after posting a tweet announcing the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. He wrote “Guilty!” alongside an animated GIF of four apparently older Black men in body paint and loincloths. The reaction was swift, and iHeartMedia fired him the next day.

Baker attempted to continue his career in talk radio online, broadcasting from a home studio, doing fill-in shows for other stations, and launching his own program on various streaming platforms. During the Biden years, however, being abruptly “cancelled” on such platforms became a routine experience for many conservative commentators.

“If I was critical of Joe Biden? Boom, they’d cut us off. Or if I was critical or made fun of China? They’d boot us right off,” Baker told The Plains Sentinel. “And so it was a constant battle.”

Afternoon hosts who took over Baker’s slot on KFAB included Ian Swanson and later Emery Songer. Fans, however, continued to call for his return—particularly on social media—for years after his departure.

“I think it’s a real testament to the company,” Baker said. “We work for the biggest broadcast company out there. They handle everything, and they did something that a lot of corporations don’t do—they listened to their customers.”

Baker specifically credited Scott Voorhees for advocating on his behalf with station management.

“I started working with him when I was 19 years old, which was 30 years ago,” Voorhees told The Plains Sentinel. “I’ve worked with him at a number of different radio stations in a couple of different cities, and I’ve always said there are two moments in time: the times I’m working on the radio with Chris, and the times that I will be working on the radio with Chris again.”

At his “Welcome Back Baker” party, Baker and Voorhees took requests and performed a handful of satirical songs long featured on Baker’s show. Baker played acoustic guitar while Voorhees played keyboard.

Among the guests was former Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, who now hosts an hour-long call-in show on KFAB.

“I don’t know how he does a four-hour show a day, but he does a lot of prep,” Stothert said. “Every now and then he’ll pop in when I’m on the air, we’ll put him on. He makes fun of me all the time on the radio, and I just give it right back to him. But I respect him a lot. We just have a good time, a good relationship with each other, and he’s a hoot.”

Several dozen guests came and went throughout the evening. Many attended specifically to see Baker, while others stopped in for dinner at Lansky’s. One couple, Jim and Carol, drove 70 miles from Denison, Iowa, just to see him. Another longtime fan, Larry, has attended numerous “Gourmet Club” events hosted by Voorhees. “He knows me by sight,” Larry said.

Stand-up comic Caleb Salvatore was especially pleased to have Baker back. The two met at a comedy club, and Salvatore joined Baker on air the previous Friday to host a segment of “reverse trivia.”

“He never should have been fired, but it is what it is,” Salvatore said. “I think you see that in every industry, government, politics, whatever you want to talk about—if enough people make enough noise, we can actually get what we want.”

Baker can now be heard every weekday from 2 to 6 p.m. Central on 1110 KFAB, either on AM radio or through iHeartMedia’s various streaming platforms.

Election integrity has remained a divisive issue within the Republican Party in recent years. Much of the tension stems from the 2020 presidential election, when late-night ballot drops in battleground states appeared to flip results overnight. For Nebraska’s grassroots conservatives, the issue has now turned inward toward the state party, as members of the State Central Committee raise concerns over credentialing and seating of new members.

While many Republican voters remain unaware of the inner workings of the Nebraska GOP (NEGOP), its leadership can wield significant power. In 2022, for example, it was the NEGOP Executive Committee—not voters—that replaced Congressman Jeff Fortenberry with Mike Flood on the ballot after Fortenberry resigned.

Seats Filled, Missing Paperwork

Late last year, a concerted effort was made to fill long-vacant seats in the Douglas County Republican Party (DCRP) from areas that had not been represented in recent years, specifically north and south Omaha.

“We were encouraged to try to fill them as best we were able,” DCRP chair Nancy Hicks told The Plains Sentinel. “The DCRP constitution allows us to pull together a caucus from individual legislative districts and allow them to vote for new members for the SCC, which is what we did.”

The timing struck some party members as suspect. The two-year terms of membership were due to reset in 2026, meaning the newly seated members would only have been able to attend one State Central Committee meeting before losing their seats.

“They were filling seats, essentially, for one meeting,” one member said.

According to another committee member, many delegates were seated with little to no documentation of how they were elected.

“All of these new members did not have minutes, caucus information, or dates tied to them, so there was no paper trail to show when these new people were elected and who elected them,” the committee member told The Plains Sentinel. “I went through Douglas County’s minutes and notes. There was nothing. All it said was that members were seated.”

While caucus minutes are not necessarily confidential, Hicks told The Plains Sentinel that no one had previously asked to see them. Cammie Metheny, an executive committee member in District 3, disputes this.

“I asked her if I could see them [the minutes], and she started to get them out of her bag,” Metheny said. “[NEGOP political director] Joe Hagerty interrupted and said, ‘What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘Well, I just wanted to see the minutes from the caucuses where these people got elected into these SCC seats.’ And he said, ‘You have no right to do that.’”

The Plains Sentinel reached out to Hagerty but received no response.

Substitutions and Forms Being Changed

Additional questions arose regarding substitutes chosen for committee members. Under the party constitution, members may select a substitute if they cannot attend a meeting, such as the one held in Kearney on January 31. That meeting featured a significant number of newly seated members, with as many as 13 out of 18 reportedly sending substitutes.

Who chose the substitutes—and under what circumstances—remains unclear.

Substitutes are requested through an online Google Form. According to Hicks, the committee member must sign the form, and every substitution request included a signature (on an electronic form, this means typing one’s name into a field).

However, problems emerged. Some entries appear to have been tampered with. For example, the Google Form requires an email address, yet a large block of entries in the collected spreadsheet left the email field blank. This suggests the addresses were either scrubbed or the entries were added manually by someone with access to the spreadsheet.

Susie Bliss, chair of the credentialing committee, acknowledged issues with the system. Some members had trouble submitting email addresses that were not Gmail accounts. Bliss also cited possible technical or security problems.

“Possibly we had a glitch in the system,” she said. “We all have the same questions. It’s like, who has access to this form, why is this blank, why does it only accept Gmail emails … I can’t prove this, but somebody got in there and made some changes, because like I said, I have no idea who had access to it.”

Bliss told The Plains Sentinel that the party has since added a phone verification step for each committee member to confirm their substitute and will stop using Google Forms in the future.

Questions Over Substitutes Being Named

Concerns also surfaced regarding specific entries in the block of names missing email addresses.

One woman who uses a wheelchair and could not travel to Kearney selected her own substitute—Caleb Salvatore of Ralston—only to learn later that someone else had been chosen for her.

Another member was unaware a substitute had been selected and traveled to Kearney expecting to be seated. She only learned of the substitution upon arrival, leading to a situation in which she was called before the caucus to “clear the air,” as Bliss described.

A third case involved a woman, who reportedly had trouble using Anedot, the NEGOP’s official payment system, to pay the required meeting fee. Bliss allowed her to pay a discounted rate after the deadline by Venmo.

“Yes, I did try and attempt to get a check from her numerous times, and it didn’t work out,” Bliss said. “And finally, I said, I’m going to Lincoln. I need your $50. And she’s like, ‘Well, how about if I just Venmo you?’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, just Venmo me then.’ And I went and I cashed it.”

While Bliss described her actions as an attempt to help, others viewed it as preferential treatment aimed at securing votes sympathetic to party leadership.

Substituting for Whom?

Confusion persisted at the January meeting. Denise Bradshaw, who was working at the credentialing desk, reported that some substitutes arrived without knowing whom they were replacing.

“Why would you not know? That doesn’t even make sense,” one executive committee member said. “You should have gotten the paperwork on it—or maybe you have the signed sheet right in your hand.”

Bliss, however, said this is not unusual.

“We had an SCC meeting in Gering, and I was there to sign in, and they needed a substitute for some CD district, and I couldn’t tell you who I was even substituting for,” she said.

Metheny, who previously served on the credentialing committee, called that explanation outside the norm.

“There was never any question on who was a sub, who they were subbing for, how the form was submitted, whether it was a paper form or an electronic form,” she said. “It was very black and white. You either had a form you signed and it was on the Google Drive, or you filled it out electronically, and there was no information missing.”

Chair Hicks acknowledged the problem.

“There have been a lot of issues with it. And I think obviously every sub should know who they’re subbing for. But obviously some of them just wanted to make sure they had a sub and didn’t particularly care who it was,” Hicks said.

The intense scrutiny over seating new members and their substitutes coincided with the election for an important party position: the member-at-large role in CD2, left vacant by the resignation of Jacob Wolff last year.

Denise Bradshaw had worked to secure votes, but she lost to Dave Brodahl by a vote of 18–32—a result many attributed to substitutes filling in for newly seated members.

Spillover into the Secretary of State Race

Election integrity is a central issue in the race for Secretary of State between Bob Evnen and Scott Petersen. Petersen serves as Vice Chair for CD2 and an executive committee member of the NEGOP. Grassroots members have specifically criticized him over the controversy.

“Scott Petersen was made aware, BEFORE the SCC meeting, and did NOTHING—rather he ignored it and during the meeting snapped at SCC members for daring to question the obvious fraud,” Allie Bush of Nebraskans Against Government Overreach stated. “Having known the previous credentialing chairs and attended ALL SCC meetings the last 4+ years, the method by which substitutions took place has NEVER occurred before… What occurred at the SCC meeting in January was a rigged election. 32–18 votes. Had they removed the 15 fraudulent subs, the election in CD2 would have gone the other way.”

Petersen is currently advocating for hand-counted paper ballots as a matter of election integrity. Critics note the irony that this process was not followed for party substitutions. The substitute form was electronic, and even paper forms appear to have been manually added to the spreadsheet.

The controversy echoes battles in Sarpy County in 2023, when grassroots challengers—including current Sarpy GOP Chair Michael Tiedeman and NEGOP Political Director Joe Hagerty—ousted then-Chair Nora Sandine over similar membership and credentialing disputes. Some activists now see history repeating itself.

Two reports from committee members detailing these issues have been submitted and distributed, one making an explicit call for transparency.

“We are the party of election integrity, transparency, and law and order—that is the promise we make to voters and the public,” the report stated. “If we demand integrity from others, we must first demand it from our own leaders.”

Nebraska has seen a record number of ballot initiatives circulated this year—a total of twelve so far—which many highlight as the result of a dysfunctional legislature. While many in the “second house” expect the “will of the people” to mandate that the legislature enact passed initiatives accordingly, some state senators are pushing back.

At the Pachyderm Luncheon last week, Merv Riepe (LD-12) said, “If we put a petition down there that said, ‘every citizen in the state of Nebraska would get a check, free and clear, for $20,000,’ everybody would sign that—but there would be nobody to pay for it.”

Former state senator Mike McDonnell, however, doesn’t see the record number of petitions as a sign of dysfunction, but rather a sign that the system is working as designed.

“I think it’s part of the process. I think more people are engaged and want to look at possibly a ballot initiative, which I think is good for our state,” McDonnell said. “If people want to use it more, that’s what it’s there for. And then the people can decide. It’s been there for a number of years, and I just think it’s part of the process.”

Riepe took specific issue with one ballot initiative put forth by Eric Underwood of Advocates for All Nebraskans (AFAN) regarding cutting property taxes.

“One individual—who, if I mentioned his name, you would all know—said he was going to run a petition that would cut property taxes in half. Then, in the Omaha World-Herald, he said, ‘I’ll let the legislature figure out how to pay for it.’ OK, that’s not very mature.”

Brad von Gillern (LD-4) agreed.

“So the one that Senator Riepe just spoke of—I ran the numbers,” von Gillern said. “If that initiative were to pass and the legislature said, ‘Okay, we’ll fix it via sales tax,’ our state sales tax rate would go to 11.5%. Then you add in city and local taxes, plus a lot of restaurant tax. If you go out to eat in Omaha, it would be 14%. And if you’re in an entertainment district, that adds another two to three percent. So if you eat at Blackstone or at a hotel, your sales tax rate could be around 17%.”

I gave Eric Underwood the opportunity to respond below.

Eric Underwood Responds

Senator Riepe’s comments at the Pachyderm meeting—citing a quote in an Omaha World-Herald article that was never said and implies an ‘anonymous’ individual, shows a level of confusion and inability to confidently articulate any or all facets of the property tax discussions.

It is the height of irony to lecture others on ‘maturity’ while relying on news sources to avoid a direct debate on the merits of property tax relief.

Senators Riepe and von Gillern are effectively attacking the judgment of their own colleagues. Senators Lippincott and Lonowski co-signed LB1182 & LB1183 (our Petitions made into Legislative bills), and Senator DeKay added his support later. These Senators recognize what the critics refuse to admit: a 50% reduction in taxable valuation and a $50,000 teacher base salary via TEEOSA-allocated funds are vetted, structural solutions to a crisis the Legislature has failed to solve.

The Senators can do all the ‘scare-tactic’ math they want, but we don’t have to guess at the impact of these plans. A fiscal note was provided by submitting the petitions as Legislative Bills. The math was verified.

This level of obtuse ignorance to Nebraska’s property tax peril is extremely concerning from people who had campaign promises to that effect. If there is no property tax reform needed in Nebraska, why campaign as if it’s a priority?

The solution to our tax crisis isn’t found in more complex legislative “swaps” or rebalances or credits; it is found in the common-sense principles of conservative capitalism. We must move toward a model where the people—not the government—are the primary stewards of Nebraska’s wealth.

The 50% cut in taxable valuations is $2.6 billion in the hands of the people and it will be the greatest economic stimulus package Nebraska could ever see. It means more capital for business expansion, more local purchasing power, and a direct reduction in the “suffering” caused by the high cost of living.

When state law-makers fully accept that they are losing $175 million of sales tax receipts to property taxes, they’ll very quickly dive into the state statutes to dramatically lower property taxes.

Regardless of who accomplishes the solution, Nebraskans will turn property tax relief into retail sales that will increase sales tax receipts and subsequently income tax as retail hiring reacts.

There is a new “Trump” sign coming soon to a barn near you.

Outside the Douglas County Republican Party headquarters in Omaha this afternoon, Scott Petersen and a handful of supporters unveiled the new Trump sign for the iconic barn near Ashland, Nebraska.

“We’re super fortunate to get our sign on the famous red barn,” Petersen said. “A big windstorm knocked the Trump sign off, so we thought it’d be nice to get that back up.”

The new sign was printed locally thanks to a private donation.

The “Trump” barn, belonging to Alan Vogel, has featured signs for many candidates over the past several years. It currently displays signs for Petersen himself and the pro-life group LifeRunners.

“Alan, who owns the barn, is a super Christian and obviously very pro-life,” Petersen said. “I think when I win, hopefully the NEGOP will go to work and maybe do a fundraiser and repair his barn. It needs a little work, so that’s our next project.”

Attendees at the event included current chair Nancy Hicks and former chair Mike Moran.

The race for Nebraska’s secretary of state has heated up in recent weeks, with Congressman Don Bacon entering the fray online. Bacon referred to Petersen as “President of the tin-foil hat club” on X. Petersen took the jab in stride, handing out large prints of the post and autographing them for supporters.

The DCRP headquarters is located next door to Don Bacon’s former campaign office, which is now vacant. One supporter jokingly hung a sign that read “Out of Business” on the outside window during the event.

For now, Petersen hopes to get the Trump sign back up and draw some attention from the 47th President.

“We’ll get the Trump sign back up. We’re gonna help do that, and we’re having a lot of fun,” Petersen said. “And hopefully Trump sees it—we’ll get that picture circulating. Maybe Trump will pick it up.”

On Monday, John Cavanaugh, state senator and current candidate for Congress, held a town hall event at the Teamsters Local 554 union hall in Omaha.

The topic of discussion was Social Security, and the guest speaker—appearing via video chat due to weather issues—was Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

Richtman emphasized that Social Security, contrary to what many younger people believe, is neither going bankrupt nor a “Ponzi scheme.” He said, however, that the program does need reform to remain sustainable, particularly by finding ways to bring more revenue into the system.

“The main way, I think, is to adjust the cap on Social Security wages that are subject to the payroll tax.” Richtman said. “It’s currently a little less than $185,000 a year. After that, no more payroll tax.” Richtman added that during the Reagan administration, 92% of wage earners were subject to the payroll tax, a number that has fallen to around 80% due to alternative forms of income, such as stock options.

“Ronald Reagan was no great champion of equality or a progressive financial system,” Cavanaugh said. “But we’ve gotten so far away that we are 11% worse than Ronald Reagan’s compromise. And if we just went back to that at 92%, then we would be in a lot better shape.”

While Richtman said his organization would support removing the cap altogether, he acknowledged that doing so would likely be politically unrealistic.

“$200,000 a year is a lot more money in some parts of the country than it is in big cities back east or on the west coast,” he said. “And politically, it would be very hard to get the votes to eliminate it altogether.”

One guest asked about a recently reported data breach in which a former DOGE employee reportedly copied two restricted databases onto a personal thumb drive. Cavanaugh suggested the breach could be part of a broader effort to undermine public confidence in government programs.

“I think just overall, it’s a fundamental erosion in the confidence in the system,” he said. “They’re trying to make it so people don’t trust Social Security, that they don’t trust elections, that they don’t trust any of these other institutions, and therefore they shouldn’t exist or that they won’t participate.”

In addition to the data’s potential use by scammers on the “dark web,” Cavanaugh also suggested it could be used for political retribution by the Trump administration.

“There’s a genuine fear that people don’t even want to donate money to somebody who is opposed to Trump anymore, because that information is released publicly and they’re afraid of retribution,” Cavanaugh said. “And of course, he’s using the court systems to prosecute, you know, Letitia James and Jack Smith and whoever else you can think of who has gone after him. … We need to control these key committees in the House so that we can have these hearings, so we can hold these people accountable. We can bring into the light all of the misdeeds.”

Around 20 guests attended the event. While most of them were seniors, Richtman cited Cavanaugh’s age as a factor when he endorsed him on behalf of his organization.

“I know you can do this as a younger member of Congress, in relating to younger folks,” Richtman said. “If we make some changes, like the ones we’ve been talking about, bringing revenue into the program in a fair way, it will be there going forward. But it’s there right now for younger people.”

The event was held at the Teamsters Local 554 union hall, whose members are currently engaged in a strike against Premier Midwest Beer and Beverage. Cavanaugh tied the strike into his remarks about defending Social Security through what he described as “collective action.”

“Social Security is the most effective government program in history to lift people out of poverty, to create security and to create wealth and opportunity for people,” Cavanaugh said. “And unions are similarly that important. And so to be here in a union hall with folks who are struggling, I think it’s really important that we all stand together and fight for Social Security.”

Before last Thursday, Scott Petersen considered himself retired. As an active member of the Republican Party for many years, Petersen has played many roles, including working for Congressman Don Bacon between 2016 and 2019 and then campaigning for his primary challenger, Dan Frei, in 2022.

Now, Petersen is preparing to formally launch a primary challenge against Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen. His official press release will go out next week, but Petersen had the chance to answer a few questions for me about his campaign.

1. What motivated you to run for Secretary of State this cycle, and why challenge the incumbent?

We deserve a Secretary of State who works hard and listens to the people of Nebraska. When a majority of people don’t trust our election systems, we have a problem. There have also been mistakes made and overreach errors with the other duties of the Secretary of State. We need to TRUST our Secretary of State. When elected, I will work hard and restore that trust.

2. What are your top 2-3 priorities if elected (e.g., election integrity, business services, voter access, or other areas under the office)?

• Restoring Trust in our election systems and bringing back control of elections to the county level where it belongs (and used to be).

• Modernizing business and records services to be more efficient, responsive, and user-friendly for Nebraska entrepreneurs and families.

• Supporting our Governor in building relationships and promoting Nebraska Ag and Nebraska Businesses around the world.

3. How do you see your approach differing from the current administration in the office?

I will listen and communicate clearly with Nebraskans. I won’t use “lawyer speak” to avoid the issues. I will work hard to make sure the Secretary of State Office is run efficiently with transparency and accountability.

Cole Lumsden, Campaign Manager for Secretary of State Bob Evnen, responded to the news.

“Secretary of State Bob Evnen has been an ardent supporter and ally of President Trump’s, and has been a key partner with the administration on election integrity. Secretary Evnen is looking forward to once again earning the trust and support of Nebraskans on May 12th.”

While Petersen’s official announcement will not be until next week, he has already sent the filing paperwork for his campaign as of yesterday. Early in-person voting will begin April 13, and the primary election will be on May 12, 2026.

It was around 5°F on the Capitol steps when close to a thousand people gathered on the north side for the 53rd Annual Walk for Life. Numerous pro-life legislators spoke on the Capitol steps on Saturday morning, but they kept their comments brief due to the cold.

“I did some research on the way down from Norfolk. At five degrees, frostbite sets in after 30 minutes,” said Mike Flood. “The political rhetoric these days can be toxic. … We need this. We need your support. We need to go to bed at night knowing that you are out there. And you’re not about tearing people down, you’re about lifting babies and people up.”

The keynote speaker for both days was Nick Freitas, a Green Beret and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2016–2026). He was impressed with the number of Nebraska families with multiple children whom he met over the weekend.

“In Virginia, we spent a lot of time trying to make pro-life voters through discussion and argumentation,” Freitas said. “In Nebraska, you skip all of that and just literally make more pro-life voters. If you’ve got five kids in Nebraska, you’re apparently a slacker. I’m starting to think that the greatest thing for the pro-life movement is long winters.”

Pro-Life Legislative Progress

The event spanned two days, with a Gala on Friday evening followed by the rally and further remarks at the Cornhusker Marriott on Saturday. Friday’s Gala was a sold-out event, with close to 600 guests filling the ballroom at the Cornhusker Marriott to capacity. Last year’s Gala, which featured actor Jim Cavizel, was held at the Embassy Suites in La Vista to accommodate a larger crowd, and Nebraska Right to Life director Sandy Danek told me that they may have to consider holding the event at a similarly large venue next year to accommodate more guests.

On Friday evening, emcee Rev. Timothy Danek held a Q&A with State Senator Rick Holdcroft (District 46) on pro-life legislation he has before the legislature.

These include expanding access to “baby boxes” at fire stations for anonymous infant surrender (LB214), incorporating the science of human embryonic and fetal development in the womb into K-12 science curricula (LB213), and new regulations on physicians providing abortion-inducing drugs (LB512). These include requiring a doctor to administer a sonogram or ultrasound to check for an ectopic pregnancy, as well as providing a follow-up visit.

“A lot of times after you’ve had the miscarriage with pills, you think it’s over with, but that baby continues to develop in the fallopian tubes and rupture,” Holdcroft said. “That bill doesn’t change the 12-week abortion limit, but it does require these abortion facilities to treat these women a little bit better than they do with a sonogram and a follow-up.”

The Nebraska legislature will have over 500 bills to consider in this short session, with a little over 100 of those being designated “priority bills.” Holdcroft plans to make LB512 his priority bill for the session, and while he does not expect Democrats to support even modest regulations on abortion procedures in Nebraska, it was written in such a way to make it difficult to object to.

Countering the Narratives

After Saturday’s rally, guests gathered at the Cornhusker Marriott to engage with local pro-life organizations and hear from a handful of speakers. One was Sarah Louise Peterson, the Nebraska Program Leader for Sidewalk Advocates for Life. She shared some numbers with guests after the rally at the Cornhusker Marriott.

Since its inception in 2014, Sidewalk Advocates for Life has helped save 25,000 unborn children from abortion, roughly the size of Fremont. She also shared specific details about the abortion clinic in Bellevue formerly run by Leroy Carhart.

“For about the last seven months, every month one or two weeks a month they’re closed. Their business has gone way down,” Peterson said. “They had three abortionists coming rotating to commit the abortions at the Bellevue facility. One of those has quit.”

Nick Freitas spoke about the importance of engaging in good-faith arguments against abortion with people who disagree.

“The moment you present evidence which destroys their argument, well, now you’re just mean—you’re a bigot, you’re a racist, you’re a sexist, you’re a threat to democracy, you’re a Nazi. How are you supposed to argue with that?” Freitas said. “Simply by asking questions … And even if they’re mad at other people who are watching, the madder they get, the calmer I get, the better the points I make, the more I’m convincing people on the other side. And that’s a worthwhile conversation.”

In a post-Roe world, the whole conversation about abortion has changed, particularly with inflammatory rhetoric about coat hangers and back alleys if the 1973 Supreme Court decision were overturned.

“The further we get away from Roe v. Wade and the fear-mongering that went on with that the more we’ll be able to advance pro-life bills,” Holdcroft said. “Because the threats that we heard about women not being able to get health care and dying in alleys, that’s all dying off because it’s not happening.”

You may not recognize his face, but if you’ve lived in Nebraska in the past half-century, you’ll definitely recognize his voice. Gary Sadlemyer is a Nebraska radio legend, and he visited the Pachyderm Luncheon on Monday along with Jim Rose to share some of the highlights from his long and storied career on KFAB.

Gary Sadlemyer began at KRGI in Grand Island in the summer of 1973, shortly after graduating from Brown Institute in Minneapolis. He came to KFAB in December 1976 doing evening shifts playing “middle of the road” music (easy listening, pop, and crossover country) along with news, weather, and sports updates. Sadlemyer moved to afternoons after a failed unionization attempt in 1978, and then to mornings around 1994–1995, where he remained for approximately 30 years.

KFAB’s powerful 50,000-watt clear-channel signal allowed it to reach listeners far beyond Omaha. The station consistently ranked among the top-rated stations in the country for many years, with Sadlemyer’s show in the top 3.

Among the famous voices Sadlemyer recounted working with were Lyell Bremser, AKA “Mr. Football,” KFAB’s longtime vice president/general manager and legendary Husker football play-by-play announcer. (If the words, “Man, woman, and child, did that put ’em in the aisles” sound familiar, then you know who Lyell Bremser was.) Sadlemyer also spoke about Jack Payne, KFAB sportscaster, Husker broadcaster, and longtime College World Series PA announcer, who he described as a “mentor.”

The iconic KFAB newsman Walt Kavanagh, well-known to kids in the Omaha area decades ago as the voice that would tell them when school was closed for a snow day, was also one of Sadlemyer’s long-time associates. Kavanagh had a two-way radio in his car, calling in with his call sign to report to Sadlemyer on-air, “There’s an accident at 105th and Rockbrook Road… And I’m in it.”

Seven-Second Delay

Sadlemyer concluded with one “famous story” regarding Gov. Bob Kerrey, who appeared live on sister station KFOR to answer questions about a controversial school consolidation bill. A similar program with Tom Osborne had been met with success without using a “seven-second delay.” The show was also recorded by multiple stations, since Kerrey rarely made himself available to the media.

During the program, Jim Rose was the call screener, and he told about “Tom in Omaha” who called in to comment, presumably about the school consolidation bill. When he was put on the air, however, his question for Gov. Kerrey was, “Are you still b*tt f*cking Debra Winger?”

Debra Winger, of course, is the three-time Academy Award–nominated actress who had a very public relationship with Gov. Kerrey at the time. “She was around town — they used to make out of the back in the Zoo Bar and all that,” Sadlemyer recalled.

The station immediately went to commercial. In the studio, Jim Rose recalled Kerrey asking, “Did that get out on the air?” Broadcast engineer Greg Jackson, who Rose described as an “Eddie Haskel” type, broke in on the talkback switch and commented, “But Governor, you didn’t answer the question.” Sadlemyer had been listening in after his shift on KFAB and described it as “the greatest blooper in the history of radio.”

And many other outlets agreed. For the next week, Rose said they had requests from ABC News, Entertainment Tonight, and People Magazine. “Every major media outlet in the country wanted a copy of that very unfortunate 14 seconds on KFOR.”

Conservative Talk and Well-Wishes

Talk radio has been a powerhouse platform for conservatives over the past several decades, spearheaded most prominently by voices like Rush Limbaugh. I asked Sadlemyer why he thought this was, and particularly why the left couldn’t achieve the same success.

“I don’t know except that every time liberal talk has been tried, it failed … NPR is their radio, but that’s not really talk radio the way you’re thinking of it. It’s just a different mindset,” Sadlemyer said. “But it’s a good thing that Rush came along, because if you’ve got the alphabet networks and the Washington Post, the New York Times, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, there was a voice crying in the wilderness, and that was Rush.”

Sadlemyer received a commemorative plaque from John Sieler for his years of service, as well as praise from three of Omaha’s former mayors — PJ Morgan, Hal Daub, and Jean Stothert, highlighting his kindness and working relationship with elected officials.

“Gary is a legend. I think everybody knows that,” Stothert said. “You definitely have a gift for what you do. And you will be sorely missed … But let me tell you one thing. Take it from me — retirement is the best job I’ve ever had. And you’re going to love it too.”

The Nebraska Legislature kicks off its 2026 session on Wednesday, launching a 60-day sprint in which senators will introduce bills, navigate filibusters, and attempt to move legislation across the finish line before sine die in April.

For voters, the top concern remains clear: property taxes. Despite reductions in tax levies over the past several years, soaring property valuations have continued to squeeze homeowners and landowners across the state. For lawmakers, however, another issue looms just as large — an estimated $465 million budget shortfall that must be resolved in a a constitutionally required balanced budget.

Those themes dominated a recent Pachyderm Luncheon, where Senators Rick Holdcroft (LD-36), Ben Hansen (LD-16), and Jared Storm (LD-23) offered a candid preview of what they expect in the coming session.

Taxing, Spending, and the ‘800-Pound Gorilla’

Sen. Jared Storm, a freshman legislator, described the deficit as “the big 800-pound gorilla” facing the Unicameral. After his first year in Lincoln, Storm said he is convinced the deficit is not due to Nebraskans being undertaxed.

“This state does not have a revenue issue. What this state has is a spending issue,” Storm told attendees. He emphasized that he is one of four senators who have pledged not to vote for any tax increases at any level.

Holdcroft echoed the problem, noting that recent income-tax reductions, while “a good thing,” have reduced state revenue even as lawmakers attempt to backfill property tax relief with roughly $3 billion per year in state aid to local governments.

All three senators stressed a point often lost in statewide debates: property taxes are assessed and collected at the local level. Storm and Hansen both argued that meaningful relief ultimately depends on who sits on school boards, city councils, county commissions, and other local governing bodies.

“We need people elected to these boards and commissions to not be yes men or women,” Hansen said. “They need to say ‘no.’” Hansen also emphasized that simply holding levies flat is not enough when valuations spike. Without corresponding levy reductions, taxpayers still see higher bills—a distinction he said too few officials are willing to acknowledge publicly.

Squaring the Tax Circle

While Storm and Holdcroft did not issue specific plans on eliminating the budget deficit, Hansen proposed sweeping reform on sales tax exemptions, advocating for a “clean slate” review.

“Over the course of decades, we have whittled away at tax exemptions. People come in and want a tax exemption for this and a tax exemption for that. And it’s grown just like a bureaucracy,” Hansen said. “Make them come to us legislators to validate why they deserve a sales tax exemption — except for inputs, real inputs, health care and food. I would exclude those.”

During the Q&A, attendees raised ideas ranging from voter-approved caps on residential tax increases to automatic levy adjustments tied to valuation growth. Douglas County Commissioner PJ Morgan advocated for a 5% cap on annual residential property tax increases, modeled on systems used in other states.

Former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub suggested amending statutes governing the Tax Equalization and Review Commission (TERC) to force automatic levy reductions when valuations rise. Hansen indicated openness to working on such reforms.

Filibusters, “Christmas Tree Bills,” and Legislative Gamesmanship

The discussion also revisited the procedural chaos of recent sessions. The 2023 session was noted both for theatrics on the floor, a near universal filibuster of every bill presented, and wild protests that included tampons being dumped from the chamber balcony and a severed deer head being smuggled in with a backpack.

Ironically, Hansen noted that tumultuous session turned out to be one of the most productive for Republicans in recent memory. “Even the Omaha World-Herald had to put on the front page that this is the best year for Republicans in 2023,” Hansen said. “The Democrats were a little ‘over emotional’ about some of the bills that we were passing, and that only drew more votes towards the Republican standpoint, because nobody wanted to be affiliated with that.”

The filibusters in 2023 forced leadership to rely heavily on so-called “Christmas tree bills” — large last-minute packages combining dozens of measures to overcome procedural obstruction. This enabled several Republican priorities to make their way through to the Governor’s desk.

“What happened in 2023 is they filibustered every single bill,” Holdcroft said. “When we got our 33 votes, we passed a lot of legislation.”

Preparing for the 60-Day Sprint

Despite previous successes, the fundamental math remains unchanged: 33 votes are required to overcome filibusters, and razor-thin margins leave a handful of senators with outsized leverage. As such, some previously hoped-for measures like Winner-Take-All are unlikely even to be proposed in this session, as the votes that defeated them last term have not changed.

As Nebraska enters a compressed session with a major budget hole, rising property tax pressure, and looming midterm elections, the next 60 days will test whether lawmakers can make fiscal ends meet before the clock runs out.

Former Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert spoke to the River City Republicans luncheon Wednesday in one of her first extended public appearances since losing reelection in May.

Stothert recapped highlights from her 12 years as mayor, including spearheading the $460 million Riverfront Revitalization project, the Mutual of Omaha downtown skyscraper, and a new $158 million library. She also touted the streetcar project—now estimated to generate $4 billion in future economic development—while acknowledging complaints from small businesses dealing with construction disruption along the route.

“I would complain, too,” Stothert said.

Election Lookback

Despite her record 12 years in office, Stothert did not shy away from addressing her election defeat earlier this year. “I wasn’t just defeated. I got my butt kicked in this last race,” Stothert told the room. While she acknowledged there were “several reasons” behind the defeat, she attributed it largely to low voter turnout driven by apathy. She illustrated the problem with a story from her neighborhood grocery store.

“Two days after the election, I’m at the Hy-Vee at 178th and Pacific,” Stothert recalled. “Two different men, two different places in the store—one guy comes up and asks, ‘What’s the election?’ And I said, ‘Two days ago.’ Another one says, ‘Well, you won, didn’t you?’ That just showed the lack of interest.”

That lack of urgency, she warned, is exactly what allowed Democrats to flip Omaha’s mayor’s office—part of a broader strategy to target Republican incumbents statewide and nationally.

Stothert also expressed frustration with the Douglas County Republican Party’s decision to endorse her primary opponent, Mike McDonnell, calling him a “lifelong Democrat” and saying the move was “really hard for me to understand.”

Swipes at Mayor John Ewing

Stothert reserved her sharpest criticism for Omaha’s new mayor, John Ewing, whom she accused of campaigning without substance.

“All he would say was, ‘Everything she does, I’ll do it better,’” she said. “Very little vision, very little plans—and still it’s the same way.”

Despite the change in city leadership, Stothert noted that Ewing has retained nearly her entire leadership team—including her former chief of staff, Tom Warren—something she called virtually unheard of in politics.

“In business that might happen. In politics, that never happens,” Stothert said. “It would be like Donald Trump keeping Joe Biden’s whole staff.”

She argued that Warren is now effectively running the city, while Ewing has already taken multiple trips out of town.

“Ewing is now on his fifth vacation since becoming mayor,” Stothert said. “He’s out of town now, and the media won’t touch it.”

Stothert contrasted that coverage with what she faced during her own tenure, including persistent rumors that she lived in Missouri. “The whole St. Louis thing—I could not shake it,” she said. “I have not lived in St. Louis since 1980. It was so easy to check, but it didn’t matter.”

She also accused Ewing of shutting down public feedback, pointing out that comments are disabled on his official Facebook page.

“I did over 70 town hall meetings as mayor,” Stothert said. “I never screened questions. I never asked for them in advance. But Mayor Ewing’s official Facebook won’t take comments at all because he doesn’t want to hear criticism.”

What’s Next for Jean Stothert?

Despite her continued involvement in local political discussions, Stothert made one thing unequivocally clear: she is done running for office.

“I will never run for office again,” she said. “Take that one to the bank. I’m done. After 27 years, that’s enough for me.” That doesn’t mean she’s stepping away entirely. She said she plans to support future Republican candidates—and hinted at a new role that could amplify that effort.

“I’ve been offered a part-time job that has something to do with the media,” Stothert teased. “I think it’ll be very helpful to all of us, and very helpful to Republican candidates.”

Looking ahead, she framed the next four years as critical for Omaha Republicans and made no secret of her hopes for the city’s political future.

“I would like to see him be a one-term mayor,” she said of Ewing. “And then move on and get a good Republican in there that can run the city conservatively again.”

For Stothert, the lesson of 2025 is simple—and urgent. “The Democrats wanted my seat in the worst way … And they did everything they could, including putting a lot of money into getting John Ewing elected,” Stothert said. “They wanted the ‘blue dot,’ and they wanted this race, and they want Don Bacon’s seat badly. Don’t take any of this for granted anymore — we have got to really stick together.”

I have a major update to a previous story on the Osborn for Senate campaign having to restart its petition-collecting process from scratch.

Secretary of State: No Change in Requirements or Guidance

Earlier today, I reached out to Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who quickly responded with clarification on the matter. Evnen stated flatly that no guidance has changed and that the problem lies entirely with the Osborn campaign.

“There has been no change in requirements and no change in guidance,” Evnen said in his email response.

He explained that his office proactively contacted the Osborn campaign on October 28, following media reports of Osborn’s potential independent candidacy, to inform them that specific statutory requirements must be met before signature collection begins. The campaign representative indicated they would reach out when they were ready.

On November 19, a campaign representative called the SOS office with questions. The next day, the SOS sent a “specific and detailed email” outlining the requirements. Importantly, during that initial call, a campaign representative asked whether signatures collected before meeting the requirements would be valid, and they were told no, they would not be.

According to Nebraska law, a sample copy of a petition for an independent candidate must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office prior to circulation. According to Evnen, it appears this essential step was not taken by the Osborn campaign.

Where the Campaign Goes From Here

Nebraska law requires independent candidates for statewide office, such as U.S. Senate, to collect 4,000 valid signatures statewide, including at least 750 from each congressional district, to appear on the general election ballot.

Based on the campaign’s email, Osborn’s team is preparing to re-launch its petition effort in January 2026, using newly-printed petition sheets. While the campaign will still submit the signatures already gathered, it is preparing for the possibility that none of them will count. According to Evnen’s statements, the campaign is likely required to start the entire process from zero.

The Osborn for Senate campaign has ordered all volunteers to immediately stop collecting petition signatures after the Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen issued “new guidance” that requires the campaign to restart its petition effort from the beginning.

“The SOS (Secretary of State) has issued new guidance around the petition collecting process that has, brace yourselves, resulted in us needing to start from scratch.”

The shocking news came from an email to volunteers Saturday evening from a Regional Field Director who stated all that completed petition sheets must be notarized and turned in to campaign offices in Lincoln or Omaha by December 12. All unused sheets—now outdated—must be shredded. Previously-gathered signatures will still be submitted in hopes that they will be accepted, though the campaign is preparing a full recollection plan if they are not.

The Field Director called the disruption a “minor setback,” and despite the “shock,” assured supporters that the campaign remains confident it will ultimately surpass the required signature threshold for candidate Dan Osborn. New petition forms and updated training materials are expected to be issued in January 2026.

Don Bacon is no stranger to a political fight, but the conflict on Capitol Hill seems to have reached a fever pitch. Coming out of a contentious government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, and then taking on a slate of censure votes, Congress seems more divided than ever.

“It’s like mob mentality in the House right now,” Bacon said, speaking to guests at the Pachyderm Luncheon in Omaha. “People are angry. They’re yelling at each other. It’s really not a pretty scene. And in the 20th century, we had five censures in 100 years. We tried to do four last week.”

The Shutdown and the cost of Healthcare

Bacon described how the most recent government shutdown unfolded over the past few months. In September, he said, both parties had agreed that Congress needed a seven-week extension to finish all 12 appropriations bills. Then, Democrats ultimately voted against the continuing resolution in the House, in part because they “want to make this next election about health care.”

“About half of them were saying, ‘we want to extend the COVID-era tax credits for ACA,’” Bacon said. “Then you had others that would just be honest: ‘Don, it’s all about President Trump — we can’t stand him, and we’ve got to show our constituents we’re fighting.’ I think in the end, the vast majority fall into that latter category.”

Bacon said that “the ACA has not been working as advertised,” and health care costs rising $1,000 per person this year have put a spotlight on issues like extending ACA tax credits. Making reforms to the ACA has been a “hot potato” for Republicans in the past, however, but Bacon emphasized that the GOP has to be “the party of ideas.”

While Bacon said that there will not be any major changes to the ACA by the end of the year, he sees a chance to make some reforms by extending the ACA tax credits with “some Republican priorities on this extension.” These include income caps and sending funds directly to recipients rather than health insurance companies (via “ghost policies”), proposals put forth by Sen. John Thune (R-SD).

In the long-term, Bacon proposed creating separate pools for high-risk individuals to bring down premiums for others, as well as reforms to HSA accounts by offering employer matches to pay for health care directly.

Affordability and Impact on the Midterms

Some pundits predict an inevitable “blue wave” in 2026, but Bacon highlighted Republican wins on border security and the extension of the 2017 tax cuts in the recent “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which he believes will deliver an economic boost next year. He also pointed to Democratic infighting—citing a potential primary challenge to would-be Speaker Hakeem Jeffries—as a sign of disarray on the other side.

Recent polling, however, has swung sharply against Republicans. Bacon warned that affordability remains the party’s biggest vulnerability heading into the midterms, a factor he believes drove Democratic victories in Virginia and New Jersey earlier this month.

“We would have expected to lose between about 3-5%. We lost by 15%,” Bacon said. “And that’s because the other side, yeah, they hate each other, but they are fired up.”

Bacon singled out President Trump’s tariffs as a contributor to the affordability crunch. “There are some undercurrents because there’s instability on the tariff front,” he said. “And by the way, the people in the inner circle of the White House share that view. They’re just trying to figure out how to deal with it… They know they’re going to have to make some modifications on the tariff side.”

Trump’s Deal for Ukraine

Don Bacon spoke briefly on his retirement, describing himself as having “no gas” after working 13- to 14-hour days during the weeks towards the end of last year’s election. The final straw in his decision not to seek re-election was being denied a seat on the Nuclear Strategic Forces subcommittee.

Earlier this month, however, Bacon reportedly told Axios that he was “so angry” about an initial 28-point Trump peace plan for Ukraine that he considered resigning before his term ends. When asked about this plan during Q&A, Bacon took on a more sanguine tone. Trump’s plan had changed since last week, and Bacon suggested that Trump may have put the first plan forth to force a dialogue with the Europeans.

“I know the plan that was put out Thursday, to me, would have been Munich 1938 all over again,” Bacon said. “With that said, they’ve come back now with a better plan, and with European input … I think today we’re in a much better spot than we were on Thursday. Whether that was the president’s plan or it just happened serendipitously, I don’t know.”

Plans after Retirement

As Bacon prepares to leave Congress, his focus now turns to making a “third career” in Nebraska politics, one where he seems to be playing a role in local races. Bacon is already making personal appearances with Republicans running in “down-ballot” races for state legislature, such as Jay Jackson (LD-14), Taylor Royal (LD-18), and Chris Anderson (LD-20), as well as Lou Ann Godin, candidate for State Board of Education (District 8).

Hal Daub mentioned that Bacon has already bought a house in the Papillion area, where he has multiple children and eight grandchildren. This would suggest that the former Congressman will be putting down roots in Sarpy County for some time to come.

Nebraska’s Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly is familiar with the pendulum swing of partisan politics. President Donald Trump appointed Kelly as United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska in 2018, a position he held until the Biden administration took office. When speaking to the River City Republicans on Wednesday, he opened his remarks by citing the terse email he received from the Biden administration in February 2021.

“It just said, ‘Dear Joseph, thank you for your service as U.S. Attorney. You need to be out of the office by February 28th,’” Kelly recalled with a chuckle. “That’s the way it goes.”

Kelly was asked to speak to the group specifically about the new ICE detention center in McCook, which some have nicknamed the “Cornhusker Clink.”

The facility has brought some predictable protests from the left, with one rally held outside the governor’s mansion featuring signs reading “ICE=Gestapo” and “No Nazi Nebraska.” But as the pendulum swings in politics, things were not always this way.

“The Obama administration was deporting people in large, very large numbers that rivaled what the Trump administration has been doing, but nobody said a word about it,” Kelly said. “You’re going to have some residents who object, but if you really read or listen to what’s being said, it’s somebody who simply does not think the Trump administration should be doing what they’re doing with immigration. And we do — we support that.”

The facility was originally built during the administration of former Gov. Ben Nelson as a prison with a “boot camp philosophy” for younger adult offenders. As Kelly explained, the theory was that military-style structure and discipline would rehabilitate young inmates. “It made perfect sense to me… The reality is, statistically and research-wise, it never panned out.”

The conversion of the center into an ICE detention facility came as Director of Corrections Rob Jeffreys had already been planning to move its roughly 250 state inmates to other spaces in Lincoln and Omaha. When ICE approached the state needing additional detention beds, Kelly described the deal as a win-win situation.

“We keep the employees who wanted to stay in McCook … In exchange, we hold these folks for the federal government. Right now it’s just a really good workout for both sides of this equation … Because of the federal funds to house these prisoners, that facility is putting money in the pocket of the state of Nebraska.”

While not necessarily housing the “worst of the worst,” Kelly shared examples from ICE of early detainees to illustrate they are not merely civil immigration violators:

• An illegal immigrant from Indiana arrested for drug trafficking and heroin possession

• A man from Burundi previously convicted of domestic violence, multiple DUIs, resisting arrest, violation of a protection order, and a known Crips gang member

• A man from Gambia previously convicted of shoplifting and DUI

• Others charged with concealed weapon, DUI, domestic violence, and assault

Kelly emphasized that the vast majority of detainees have no Nebraska connections whatsoever and that the federal government alone decides who is housed there and for how long. Kelly also praised the dramatic change at the southern border.

“Governor Pillen was down this week in Texas with Governor Abbott and some other governors … They had been there several times during the Biden administration, and all of them, like all of us on TV, saw people just coming across the river and coming across the roads illegally. And now that is a sealed border … Considering the length and difficulty of enforcing something like that, that’s really a tribute to everyone from Tom Homan and the President all the way down.”

The McCook facility currently has a capacity of up to 280, with discussions underway to expand to 300. Employment at the facility is also expected to rise from 97 staff to around 150–160, with Kelly crediting the “Cornhusker Clink” as “a money-maker for the state of Nebraska.”

Taylor Royal has come full circle. The 35-year-old financial advisor first entered the political scene in 2017 with an unsuccessful primary challenge to incumbent Mayor Jean Stothert during her first reelection bid.

A little more than eight years later, in one of her first public appearances since being ousted from the mayor’s office earlier this year, Jean Stothert introduced Royal to a packed room at the Warehouse Grille in Bennington as he kicked off his campaign for state legislature in District 18.

“What Taylor did was something that not too many people do,” Stothert said in her opening remarks. “Immediately after the primary, his mom, his dad, Taylor—they came, and they were there for me, because he knows how to unite people. And he knows how to bring people together. And isn’t that exactly what we need right now?”

The room was filled nearly to capacity with prominent Republican figures from the area. In addition to former Mayor Stothert were Congressman Don Bacon, Charles W. Herbster, former Mayor Hal Daub, Speaker John Arch, state senators Ben Hansen and Kathleen Kauth, CD2 candidate Brinker Harding, and multiple representatives from the NEGOP, including chair Mary Jane Truemper.

Last week, I had the chance to sit down with Taylor Royal and ask him about his plans as his campaign begins. He started by lamenting Nebraska’s self-deprecating slogan for the state—“Nebraska: it’s not for everyone.”

“I think lately for Nebraskans, it’s honestly felt like that—it’s not for everyone,” Royal said. “When you look at seniors, they’re getting squeezed and nickeled-and-dimed; working families are feeling the pinch. And then we are losing, every single day, good quality Nebraskans who are graduating and seeking opportunity elsewhere.”

In his aim to make Nebraska the “good life” again, Royal focused on three big issues: energy needs, education, and property taxes.

Energy Needs and Infrastructure

Royal sees developing new sources of energy in Nebraska as critical to bringing new, high-tech jobs to the state, giving young people a reason to stay after graduating.

“When you look at what is driving growth in America, it is technology, it is AI, it is automation, it is research, and all of that requires a lot of energy,” Royal said. “I don’t think that the currency of the future is going to be Bitcoin, sadly. I think it’s going to be electrons—energy. And so, we as a state need to prioritize how we’re getting as many electrons on the grid as soon as possible. And that’s going to attract businesses.”

That new energy would be powered by innovations in nuclear energy like small modular reactors (SMRs), which are in such high demand that communities that don’t make a commitment early can miss out.

“That whole pipeline for nuclear is completely backing up, and if you don’t get on that list today and make serious heavy commitments, then we’re just going to let that pass us by,” Royal said.

Royal also discussed creating financial incentives for property owners to generate more electricity locally. “Some landowners do want solar, some landowners do want wind, some landowners do want natural gas and SMRs, but the county will kind of usurp that and say that we’re not going to allow that to happen within our county.”

Other needs include basic infrastructure such as roads for new facilities.

“When you study other municipalities, like Des Moines as an example, they have four-lane roads and all the infrastructure laid out to the middle of nowhere, and you’re starting to see businesses and families and warehouses move alongside them,” Royal said. “Here locally, we have two-lane roads among the busiest intersections all across the city … We wait for these businesses to invest around these little strip malls. And then all of a sudden, when it gets too busy, we’ll tear up the intersection and finally put in turn lanes or a four-lane road and harm those exact same businesses.”

Education

Royal emphasized the importance of education, supporting both public and private options, and even homeschooling. His wife, Katie, a former public school teacher, is currently homeschooling their two kids through kindergarten. Royal supports school choice and competition to improve educational outcomes, with funding flowing “bottom-up” to families, students, and teachers.

Royal also supports the idea that a high school education should be career-focused, not necessarily just a first step toward a college degree.

“We need to make sure that that diploma means something when kids graduate,” Royal said. “We’ve lost sight of that with high school … it’s college prep. I care more about ‘life prep,’ especially in high school, and making sure that that diploma leads to a good outcome. And if that means more education, then great, but it shouldn’t be the sole focus.”

This was a sentiment echoed by State Board of Education member Lisa Schonhoff (District 3), who spoke at Royal’s kickoff event yesterday.

“One of the things that he really understands is that we have to keep the trades in the forefront,” Schonhoff said. “We need to let kids know that college is not a ‘must.’ They can go into careers right after high school, and that’s okay. And not only is that okay, but it’s awesome, because they can make good money. And you can bypass a four-year degree if you decide college isn’t for you.”

Property Taxes

This election season looks to be a referendum on property taxes, with multiple ballot initiatives taking center stage as the state legislature waffles on potential solutions. This has not gone unnoticed as Royal goes knocking doors in his district with his two kids.

“When you knock on every single door, the main topic at hand is property taxes,” Taylor said. “People are frustrated with the legislature, because they’ve done very little as far as meaningful tax relief.”

Bob Andersen (LD-49) plans to reintroduce a bill to cap the growth of property taxes in next year’s session, an idea Royal supports.

“I just got a 19% increase on mine. Nebraska GDP is not growing like that, and government spending shouldn’t be growing like that,” Royal said.

Royal sees job growth and economic growth as a “fourth leg of the stool” to provide property tax relief. And while he did not yet have a specific plan on the table to cut property taxes, he does support Nebraska’s “second house” taking action in advance through ballot initiatives.

“I am all for Nebraskans taking the initiative into their own hands to get something done,” Royal said. “And so, if the politicians elected can’t get anything done this session, Nebraskans should have the full right to make that loud and clear in November next year.”

The Battle Ahead

While District 18 leans Republican, with previous candidates Christy Armendariz and Brett Lindstrom winning their races by 12.5% and 7.2%, respectively, it swung for Trump only by 1.7% in 2024.

In her remarks yesterday, Jean Stothert warned her fellow Republicans about being complacent in the midterms next year.

“There’s a lot of new Republicans that are going to have a hard time getting elected because the Democrats want these seats. And they want them bad,” Stothert said. “This is why we have to rally behind these great candidates, and be grateful that we have candidates like this that will run. … [Taylor Royal] has a lot of common sense. He will defend our values. He will be a fierce advocate for legislative district 18. I think that he’s a visionary, and that’s what we need.”

The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition drew a packed house at the Treynor Community Center on Monday evening for its “Soapbox Speaker Series,” featuring five Republican candidates vying to represent Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House.

The race gained momentum after incumbent Rep. Randy Feenstra announced his bid for governor, opening the seat due to Iowa’s “resign-to-run” rule for sitting candidates. Attendees included state legislators such as Reps. Brent Siegrist, Steve Holt, and Jon Dunwell, as well as Iowa state Sen. Mark Costello.

Moderated by Jeff Pitts, the forum emphasized faith, family, freedom, and fiscal responsibility as candidates tackled prepared questions, impromptu queries, and personal stump speeches.

Candidates introduced themselves in a three-minute stump speech round—order determined by a dice roll—before answering four pre-submitted questions on the national debt, pipelines and property rights, abortion, and how they differ from the rest of the field. A final round featured random, unseen questions on topics such as foreign policy, pet projects, gender ideology, faith, priorities, borders, agriculture, guns, legislative style, gridlock, and entitlements.

Meet the Candidates

Ryan Rhodes is a political consultant who started the Iowa Tea Party, worked on Dr. Ben Carson’s presidential campaign, helped launch Parler, and has supported conservatives such as Reps. Byron Donalds and Anna Paulina Luna. With the campaign slogan “Make America Iowa,” he appears to position himself as the MAGA candidate in the District 4 race. He praised Elon Musk and Dogecoin for challenging government waste, focused on border security and reshoring American jobs as matters of national security. He also framed abortion as part of a larger cultural battle.

“We have to look at the women who are being deceived. We have to cut off every dime of federal funding. We have to stand there and make sure life matters. Because the reason we’re talking about transgenderism and everything else … is because it started there, and too many people didn’t fight.”

Christian Schlaefer, a fifth-generation farmer, businessman, lay preacher, and homesteader from rural Iowa, warned that America stands at a crossroads. He highlighted shuttered storefronts and argued that Main Street and the American middle class must remain central to the nation’s future.

Schlaefer identified immigration as a foundational issue. “Immigration is a prerequisite for addressing all of these other things that we talk about. We talk about the budget and the monetary issue. Immigration is the most egregious area that we’re spending money.”

He specifically cited excessive spending on social programs such as Medicaid that he said go to non-citizens, as well as drug trafficking through unprotected borders.

Chris McGowan is a Sioux City economic development professional, former member of the Iowa Air National Guard, husband of 26 years, and father of six. He said he chose to study law in his mid-30s specifically to better understand the U.S. Constitution.

McGowan supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to address overspending in Washington, mirroring the one in Iowa’s state constitution. He cited his efforts to save Sioux City’s Poison Control Center and medical education programs and rejected the notion that Republicans are “heartless” regarding programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

“I reject the narrative of anyone who says the Republicans don’t care and are heartless… I have fought for health care on numerous fronts, and I will continue to do so.”

Matt Windschitl adopted “been there, done that” as his motto for the night. Having served in the Iowa Legislature for 19 years—now as Majority Leader—he noted the state’s political shift from a Democratic trifecta when he started to a Republican one today. He highlighted his experience in passing legislation and managing the state’s finances as evidence of his ability to help address the national debt.

“We’ve done it in Iowa. I’ve been part of that solution… by cutting spending, but also doing it in a way that works for all Iowans of every class.”

Sporting a pair of “2A” socks and describing himself as “the gun guy in the state legislature,” Windschitl named national reciprocity for concealed carry as his personal “pet project.”

“If you’re not a criminal, you should be able to carry a firearm regardless of what the state lines say—regardless of what some of the liberal states are saying.”

Douglas Jensen, a combat veteran who led troops in Afghanistan and air communications teams during the 2011 Libya crisis, positioned himself as the congressional “fixer.” He wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on congressional leadership—which he joked is often seen as an oxymoron—focused on how to get things done in a body of 535 “type A personality leaders.”

Jensen framed the national debt and recurring government shutdowns as symptoms of dysfunctional leadership. He called for a Balanced Budget Amendment, two-year appropriations cycles, and the codification of Kelo’s reversal to protect property rights.

“That’s my research—how do you do that, how to apply that, how to not get sucked into putting your party before your district? … And the answer is simple: focus on the people, put the people first, have town halls everywhere, listen to them. Always ask, what is on your mind? How can I serve you? That’s what I’m here to do.”

What to expect for the midterms

Moderator Jeff Pitts emphasized his desire to remain impartial and “simply allow the candidates to speak for themselves, and trust you all to sort it out.”

Iowa’s 4th Congressional District has long been considered a Republican stronghold, with incumbent Rep. Randy Feenstra winning previous elections by margins of 24–37 points. While the race remains rated as “Solid Republican” by major forecasters, three Democrats have declared their candidacies, including former Iowa House Rep. Dave Dawson, Stephanie Steiner, and Ashley Wolf-Tornabane.

The primary elections are scheduled for June 2, 2026, and the general election for November 3, 2026.

Pete Ricketts’ annual Nebraska Steak Fry is a popular Republican event in Nebraska, drawing hundreds of guests for a steak dinner and the chance to meet and greet high-profile figures like Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, and Ron DeSantis—often at the same event. With a cost of $35 for a family, it’s less a fundraiser and more an opportunity to showcase prominent speakers to local Republicans and provide a chance to rub elbows with elected officials from across the state.

The event was held every autumn from 2017 to 2022, even during COVID, but went on hiatus after Ricketts left the governor’s office and was appointed U.S. Senator shortly after his term ended. On Sunday, he revived the event at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Arlington, with keynote speaker Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.

In addition to the steak dinner and speeches, the Steak Fry has traditionally offered Republicans an hour before the program to chat personally with elected officials. Among the crowd were several state senators, all three Nebraska congressmen (Mike Flood, Don Bacon, and Adrian Smith), Governor Jim Pillen, and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who served as MC.

Ricketts vs. Osborn

As an official event for Ricketts’ 2026 Senate campaign, all three Nebraska congressmen praised Ricketts’ record as both governor and U.S. Senator. Mike Flood, in particular, credited Ricketts for keeping Nebraska open during the COVID-19 pandemic and managing crises like the Missouri River flooding of 2019.

“The flooding in 2019 was a 500-year disaster that could have set Nebraska back a generation, and he got something like 55 bridges rebuilt in just 18 months,” Flood said.

When Pete Ricketts spoke, he highlighted his opponent Dan Osborn’s reliance on out-of-state funding, noting that 95% of Osborn’s campaign funds in the last election came from outside Nebraska, including from Chuck Schumer.

“I don’t think we want New Yorkers and Californians telling us who we should elect to the U.S. Senate,” Ricketts said. “You’ve heard the phrase, ‘follow the money.’ Well, his money’s coming from out there. Now, what do we have? We’ve got you—Nebraskans.”

All three congressmen also criticized Ricketts’ Senate challenger for obfuscating his political alignment by running as an independent.

“You know who else calls himself an independent? Bernie Sanders—a Democratic Socialist,” Bacon said. “What independent wants to pack the Supreme Court? What independent believes in zero restrictions on abortion? No independent does.”

Unity and Work from the Ground Up

A recurring theme of the event was party unity, a challenge for Nebraska Republicans, especially since the grassroots takeover of state and county parties a few years ago.

“Sen. Ricketts taught me iron sharpens iron, right?” said Lancaster County GOP chair Jack Riggins. “We can get kind of nasty in our party, but one thing we have to do is come together to beat Democrats.”

Party unity was a key focus of Mullin’s keynote address, which emphasized returning to foundational platform issues rather than engaging in a “purity test” among party members.

“The most popular individuals in the Democratic Party for president are AOC and Bernie Sanders,” Mullin said. “They want to change the very foundation of our country. If you change the foundation of a building, everything built on top of it crumbles. We can’t allow that to happen. We have to understand what our fight is about. And sometimes, inside the Republican Party, we fight among ourselves.”

Mullin urged Republicans to reach out to Democrats who feel politically homeless in a party moving sharply left, citing his experience running in a district that shifted from 60% Democrat to an R+27 district.

“Look at the Democratic Party right now. The Democratic Party has the worst rating they’ve had in their entire history. People are looking for a way out,” Mullin said. “If they want to tear the foundation out, they’re not part of our party. But if they believe in America, that our flag is the most beautiful in the world, and they’re willing to die for it, they’re part of our party.”

Mullin also stressed the need for Republicans to build a bench from the ground up, winning county and school board elections to prepare candidates for higher office in the future.

As the midterms approach, Republicans may be uniting in the most Nebraskan way possible—over a steak dinner. “When I think about the battles ahead, and they’re existential, we don’t have time to fight amongst ourselves,” Hilgers said. “We have to fight for this country, and that means we need to be unified.”

As Nebraska’s secretary of state, Bob Evnen has his hands full. His official duties include promoting international trade, serving on the Pardons Board, chairing the Real Estate Commission and State Records Board, issuing licenses for polygraph operators, and overseeing business services such as corporate and LLC registrations and security interest filings. The most prominent role he’s had over the past few years, however, has been overseeing Nebraska’s elections — a responsibility that has come to the forefront in a lawsuit by Common Cause Nebraska seeking to prevent the inspection of Nebraska’s voter rolls.

Letter from the DOJ

Earlier this year, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice (DOJ), sent letters to multiple states, including Nebraska, requesting voter lists and personal data. This included dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. So far, the letter has been sent to 38 states, and Evnen expects the remaining 12 will receive one soon.

This information was requested under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which require states to maintain accurate voter lists and authorize the DOJ to inspect records for compliance.

Evnen spoke about the matter at the River City Republicans’ luncheon on Wednesday. He said he had contacted the DOJ attorney listed in the letter for details on how the data would be used.

“She told me immediately how they’re going to use it, who’s going to have access to it, how they get access to it, what’s going to be done with the data, and how we get it back,” Evnen said. “And I asked her to provide that in writing, which she was agreeable to do.”

Common Cause Nebraska files suit

Before any of the information could be sent, however, Common Cause Nebraska filed a lawsuit to prevent Evnen from submitting the data. Common Cause has opposed other election-integrity measures such as voter ID. They also oppose President Trump’s Executive Order 14248, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which Evnen described as a “baseline of best practices.”

The current lawsuit raises concerns about hackers accessing sensitive data — an issue Evnen dismissed.

“This is not a request from some hacker on the dark web. This is the United States Department of Justice, which has given the Secretary of State of Nebraska assurances about how this information will be protected. That’s the difference.”

Much of the data in these voter rolls is already available to the general public under certain conditions, and the more sensitive data — such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth — is already in the possession of the federal government. One attendee I spoke with suggested the suit was simply an effort to roadblock Trump from getting states like California, Illinois, and Minnesota to clean up their voter rolls.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who initially gave Evnen the green light to submit the voter information to the DOJ, subsequently advised him to withhold it until the lawsuit is resolved. Evnen is confident the issue will be settled quickly.

“Once that hold is off, because the attorney general’s very confident that they’re going to prevail in this lawsuit, I will get back to that [DOJ] lawyer and ask her for the letter detailing how this information will be used,” Evnen said. “She’ll send me the letter, I’ll send her the information, and we’ll all go on with our lives.”

Proactive search of the voter rolls

Evnen is not waiting for the lawsuit or DOJ review to move forward on cleaning up Nebraska’s voter rolls. One provision in Trump’s executive order facilitates access to federal databases — notably the SAVE database, a combination of six databases that includes the Social Security death list — to confirm citizenship for the 2–3% of Nebraska’s 1.25 million registered voters not verified through DMV records. If non-citizens are identified, federal law prevents immediate removal from the voter rolls, but Evnen said he will refer cases to the Attorney General for potential prosecution.

“I don’t think we have very many people on our voter rolls who are not citizens,” Evnen said. “I think it’s a very small number. But why guess? Why should we have any?”