OMAHA — Two major national groups that spend big on competitive congressional races aired their first TV ads Tuesday in the U.S. House race to represent Nebraska’s 2nd District.

The National Republican Congressional Committee launched an ad against State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, the Democratic nominee. And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee rolled out two ads against U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, the Republican incumbent.

The themes of the first ads signal some frequent attack lines voters can expect through the November election in the Omaha-based district — attacking Vargas for supporting criminal justice reforms and hitting Bacon for opposing abortion rights.

NRCC Hits Vargas On Justice Reform Votes

The NRCC ad, which features  a hooded man walking at night, criticizes Vargas for backing bills in 2017 and 2020 that the Legislature considered to address crowded prisons, including earlier parole eligibility. The ad argues both measures would have put public safety at risk.

In 2020, Vargas supported Legislative Bill 1004, changes to let more people convicted of felonies become eligible for parole sooner. Critics of the proposal argued the measure went too far by including people convicted of violent crimes.

Supporters of LB 1004 said the Parole Board should be trusted to evaluate cases and would not grant early parole to people who had committed heinous crimes. Then-Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed the bill after the session ended, killing it.

The ad also criticizes Vargas for his 2017 support for LB 447, which would have cut mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes and given judges more flexibility on a case-by-case basis, partly to address prison crowding. The bill passed a first-round debate but did not secure enough votes to overcome a threatened filibuster and was not scheduled for a second.

Bacon and the Omaha Police Officers Association have criticized Vargas for his support for the two bills, saying they risked public safety.

Meg Mandy, a spokeswoman for Vargas’ campaign, said Bacon and his supporters need to stop “trying to mislead voters about Tony Vargas’ record to cover up Bacon’s extreme agenda.” She pointed to bipartisan support for the state criminal justice reforms.

Conservatives and progressives supported cutting mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related crimes as too costly for affected families and taxpayers. Nebraska’s proposed change was also supported at the time by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The ad said Vargas “voted to allow criminals to be released,” which is technically true. But parole eligibility does not mean it will be granted, particularly in a state where the Parole Board lagged for years in letting people out early.

“Don Bacon and his allies are at it again,” Mandy said. “The truth is each of these bills was bipartisan with Republican support, and Tony has voted with Republicans to boost law enforcement funding by $37 million a year.”

DCCC Hits Bacon On Trump, Abortion

The two DCCC ads try tying Bacon to what they call the “MAGA agenda” of former President Donald Trump and criticize Bacon’s support in 2017, 2019 and 2021 for a federal constitutional amendment to ban abortion nationally, before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

The 2021 personhood amendment, which Bacon co-sponsored, listed no exceptions. He has said he was told by lawmakers that the measure  would have left room for protecting a mother’s life.

Bacon has said he would still support a federal ban on abortion with exceptions for the life of the mother.

He has also said he is realistic about what kinds of abortion restrictions could pass in a divided Congress and said he would support a federal abortion ban set at 15 weeks as an incremental step toward curbing abortions.

Critics said Bacon cannot balance abortion opponents and moderates by co-sponsoring a ban without exceptions and saying he would only support a ban with exceptions. Vargas has described Bacon’s abortion stance as out of touch.

Matthew Zacher, a spokesman for Bacon’s campaign, said Bacon knew that Vargas and the Democrats would try to label his views as outside of the norm but said “Nebraskans know Don as the most bipartisan Republican in Congress.” Zacher said it’s Vargas’ views that are extreme.

Vargas supports abortion rights and has said the decision about reproductive care is best left between a woman and her doctor. Bacon and the NRCC have criticized him for not specifying what limits on abortion, if any, he would accept.

Nebraskans are set to vote this fall on two competing abortion amendments. Vargas supports one by Protect Our Rights that would codify abortion in the State Constitution until “fetal viability,” as defined by a treating health care provider.

It sets no specific number of weeks to define viability. The current scientific standard for viability is 22-24 weeks gestation. Nebraska’s current law, which the Legislature passed in 2023, prohibits abortions after 12 weeks gestational age.

Bacon supports the other ballot measure, by Protect Women and Children, which would outlaw most abortions after the first trimester of pregnancy. It sets no floor on how early the Legislature could ban abortions. It would let state senators pass an outright ban.

Both proposed amendments include exceptions language for later abortions: for the life or health of the mother in the abortion-rights initiative and for the life of the mother and in cases of rape or incest in the restrictions amendment.

“Congressman Bacon supports the Nebraska law, which limits abortion after the third month with exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother,” Zacher said. “It’s what most Nebraskans support.”

Mandy disagreed, saying Bacon has “repeatedly tried to ban abortion nationwide with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.”

The DCCC ads were placed by the group’s separately run group that handles independent expenditures in battleground races like NE-02.

Early in-person voting starts Oct. 7. Election Day is Nov. 5.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/17/outside-groups-ramp-up-advertisi...