OMAHA — In the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Unicameral, the Democratic-leaning minority bloc currently has 16 seats, including progressive Omaha nonpartisan State Sen. Megan Hunt.

That means the Legislature’s partisan minority, when united, needs Hunt and at least one GOP defector to stop legislation the group opposes. Republicans, when united, hold a narrow supermajority of 33 seats that can overcome them.

Still, filibusters have stopped some controversial majority-sought bills, including a six-week abortion ban, moving the state to winner-take-all in presidential elections and reducing a voter-approved increase in the minimum wage.

But in an off-year election when Democrats might win the Omaha-area race for Congress, some worry about the risks of even temporarily narrowing the party’s thin margin for those filibusters if State Sen. John Cavanaugh wins.

Cavanaugh, who represents one of the state’s most Democratic-leaning legislative districts, would have to resign if elected and be replaced by the governor, a seat of power in Nebraska that Republicans have occupied since 1999.

Some local Democrats say Cavanaugh winning would allow a Republican majority to pass more controversial legislation that Democratic-aligned lawmakers and some Republican moderates have helped them stop.

A handful argue his departure from the Legislature could spur the state to redraw the 2nd Congressional District mid-decade, putting a potential Democrat in Congress out of a job and cementing GOP power in Nebraska for another generation. Others have questioned whether the current governor, Jim Pillen, or a successor might push for a special session to further restrict abortion.

Many of those concerns come from backers of two of Cavanaugh’s top opponents in the May 12 primary, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades and local business owner and political action committee co-founder Denise Powell. People expressed similar concerns about the risks of State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha running for Congress.

Cavanaugh, in an interview with the Examiner, called the criticisms a “loser mentality” and said he plans to run a campaign that raises “all boats.”

“I am confident that I’m going to win this house seat, and I’m confident that I’m going to do it in a way as a leader that will help Democrats win more seats at the state level,” Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh said Democrats elsewhere have shown in recent congressional elections that “we have a message that resonates with voters” and questioned whether the people who are concerned “think that Democrats can’t win.”

He said he thinks Nebraska Democrats will run strong candidates “up and down the ballot” in 2026, including for governor. No Democratic candidate for governor has yet announced

Democrats won most of high-profile contests nationally this month, including the Governor’s Office in Virginia and the mayor’s race in New York, which some political observers have said could hint at a positive political environment for them in the midterms. Political experts view the open 2nd District U.S. House seat as a possible pickup for Democrats, following the retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon.

The 2nd District Democratic primary is a six-person race with Cavanaugh, Powell, Rhoades, Navy veteran Kishla Askins, former congressional staffer James Leuschen and Evangelos Argyrakis.

Rhoades, in particular, has criticized Cavanaugh in public and private about the risks to Democrats, saying she chose to run partly out of concern about Cavanaugh vacating the seat when one or two votes are all that stand between Nebraska and what she describes as bad legislation.

Rhoades said she wants to make sure “we aren’t sacrificing some of the things that the Democrats have been able to hold off in the Legislature.” 

“We’re hanging on by a thread — our representation, our Electoral College vote, and abortion rights are all dependent on maintaining the filibuster in the Legislature,” Rhoades said, “Throwing all of that away and putting the state and the country at risk is unacceptable. The stakes are too high.”

During the last legislative session, Republican efforts to change how the state awards Electoral College votes for president failed in part because Republican State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston and State Sen. Dave Wordekemper of Fremont sided with Democrats against the timing of the change. A similar effort to make the change in 2024 fell a single vote short when then-State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a new Republican, chose not to back the effort.

Riepe also was the sole Republican to vote against a push for a six-week abortion ban during the 2023 legislative session.

Ryan Longenecker, Powell’s campaign manager, said, “Voters are tired of career politicians looking for their next opportunity.” He said she is focused on the fact that “people back home are really struggling to make ends meet.”

Cavanaugh told the Examiner he would resign from the Legislature in January 2027 if he won the primary and general elections. The governor would then appoint Cavanaugh’s replacement for all of 2027 and 2028, due to the timing of the potential vacancy.

His appointed replacement would serve until January 2029, according to state law. He has the option of resigning before May 1, which would trigger a special election in November 2026. However, his seat would be filled by a Pillen appointee in the interim. 

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb has said previously that she sees a path for the party to make gains in the statehouse. One reason: a more favorable environment in 2026. Democratic officials have said they hope to gain two seats. The party could also lose ground. Kleeb has previously said flipping such seats is “difficult” but doable.

A look at registration numbers in many of the districts where Democrats hope to win seats still shows them at a disadvantage against Republicans.

Hunt has said that is part of why she is watching the Democratic primary closely. Losing any more seats could widen the door for “extremist policies that hurt working people” and “target vulnerable communities,” she said.

“My hope is that we don’t lose that last line of defense,” Hunt added.

Cavanaugh argues the national stakes are even higher, “because of the current chaos created by [President Donald] Trump.”

“Congress has the ultimate authority over a lot of the things that people are concerned about,” Cavanaugh said, “So we need strong representation in Congress who’s going to stand up … and fight for the people of this district.”

The winner of the Democratic primary will face the winner of a GOP primary featuring Omaha City Council Member Brinker Harding and former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha.

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/2025/11/19/state-sen-john-cavanaugh-defends...