As voters head to the polls next Tuesday – or return their mail-in ballots to drop boxes to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19 – a key race to watch will be the 2nd Congressional District, where three Democratic contenders are squaring off to challenge incumbent Republican Don Bacon.

Bacon does face a challenger, Paul Anderson, who told KMTV that he’s “asking for a miracle” to knock the two-term congressman off the November ballot. Anderson, a perennial candidate, sought a seat on the Omaha City Council in 2017 but dropped out after he opposed the Tri-Faith Initiative building a mosque in Omaha.

The three Democratic candidates – Ann Ashford, Kara Eastman and Gladys Harrison – each represent different visions within the Democratic Party, including on issues such as health care and the economy.

The Daily Record spoke with each of the three candidates, as well as Bacon, about their views.

Ann Ashford

Ashford, a 20-year professional in the human resources and health care field, is no stranger to the congressional campaign trail thanks to her husband, Brad, who successfully dislodged former Republican Rep. Lee Terry in 2014 but lost the race to Bacon in 2016 and 2018.

Ann Ashford wants to bring her experience in health care to help make a difference and to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for price inflation she refers to as the, “wild wild West.”

“I got tired of candidates saying they wanted to go to Washington and fight, because we have too much of that already,” she said.

The daughter of a physician and a nurse and granddaughter of two physicians, Ashford remembers the days before health care coverage for preexisting conditions and does not want to see the system return to the same state.

“I remember how awful it was for individuals,” Ashford said, so when she began to witness the systematic dismantling of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act with no replacement in mind, she decided it was the right time to run for office and advocate for the 90,000 people in Nebraska without health insurance.

Ashford also looks forward to the day when the Equal Rights Amendment is finally added to the U.S. Constitution.

“The sentiment must be there as well, but I think it would put a lot of things to rest,” she said. “We need to make sure that we’re being ever-vigilant to ensure that our hate laws and hate crimes are appropriately recognized and tamped down.”

Ashford said she is hopeful for what is now a global society, with more exposure to cultures and beliefs other than our own.

“I genuinely believe that I will represent the entire district, that I will listen to everybody, I will always be transparent, I will always do what I say,” she said.

Kara Eastman

Eastman has been a social worker and advocate for 20 years in the nonprofit sector running shelters for homeless people and those facing domestic violence.

As an advocate for children at several health organizations, Eastman emphatically stated that “those are the people that form my worldview.”

Hearing stories from other families like her own struggling to make ends meet to afford their medical costs and even prescriptions drove Eastman to eventually begin running for public office.

 “I spoke to a woman that was going in to have a breast removed, and the only concern she had was how much money it was going to cost,” Eastman said.

Eastman supports Medicare for All, a policy proposal favored by the party’s progressive wing that would provide access to health care as a right to all Americans.

Eastman ran against Bacon in the 2018 contest, winning Douglas County but falling short once Sarpy County’s tally was added.

Her own team members have inspired Eastman to continue to seek elected office. One of them is a “Dreamer” who has status under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“It is her story, when I’m having a hard day on the campaign trail, of her being brought here as a child, and now worrying about her future and about her parents, when she’s done everything right,” Eastman said. “She’s a model citizen of this country; she’s not a citizen and doesn’t have the right to vote yet pours her heart out into working on my campaign.”

Eastman said that she wants to be accessible and accountable to voters, inviting them to contact her directly.

“We’re never going to agree on every single thing,” she said. “But I want to fix health care and take money out of politics. Those are my two big issues.”

Gladys Harrison

Harrison is among the 90,000 people in the 2nd Congressional District without health insurance, despite working full-time managing Big Mama’s in North Omaha.

She helped established the hub for soul food with her mother, and she pays tribute to her mother on her campaign logo. In fact, when her campaign managers insisted on red, white, or blue, “I said ‘No, I need leopard in my logo, because that pays homage to my mother,” Harrison said.

“I wouldn’t be the woman I am if it wasn’t for her,” she added.

Because of the lessons instilled in her, Harrison wants to advocate for the 2nd District because she believes in individual choice.

“I’m not one of those people that believe that everybody should be forced to take a government plan,” she said, “because there are members of society who fought for their insurance,” including her fellow union members who sacrificed to keep their coverage.

“There needs to be an alternative for people who don’t have it,” Harrison said. “It’s got to be more affordable.”

After witnessing remarks made by the president regarding Elijah Cummings’ district in Baltimore, Harrison said she recalled asking her family what they did during the Civil Rights Movement, and she wants to have an answer for her 4-year-old grandson when he someday asks her what she did to make a difference.

She said she wants to “give everybody an opportunity to have a seat at the table in our government, not just some people.”

Harrison worked for 22 years in corporate America and served as a union steward.

She’s seen how it’s gotten harder for people, some of whom struggle to make ends meet working two or three jobs.

“When a single mom has to work at a Wendy’s and a McDonald’s because there isn’t any other place to work, no, that economy is not good,” Harrison said.

Don Bacon

Bacon is the incumbent representative of the 2nd District and the former base commander at Offutt Air Force Base.

A veteran passionate about national security after his 30-year career in the Air Force, Bacon said he has been “a good voice in national security” discussions.

Bacon said he wants to continue to be an advocate for expanding the military and promoting the growth of the global economy.

“Half of our Navy aircraft couldn’t fly when I came in,” Bacon said, noting it is now at 80% functionality. “I wanted to be a voice for deterrence and national security, but I was also motivated by economic policy.”

A father to two foster children, Bacon also wants to improve the foster care system in the U.S.

“There’s so much more we can do in the foster care,” he said.

When he first ran for Congress, Bacon said he had never sought a public office. He was concerned about career politicians.

“We need some people from the real world,” Bacon said.

After the floods of 2019, Bacon was responsible for the $800 million project of rebuilding Camp Ashland military base. He’s also been an advocate for Offutt, which is a key economic driver of the metropolitan area.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Bacon said South Korea has been thinking outside the box and been successful. He said he wants to see testing made readily available, to the point it’s at drugstores in every community.

Find more on Bacon at donjbacon.com. Find more on Anderson at paulanderson4congress.com.

Find more on Harrison at gladys4congress.com. Find more on Eastman at eastmanforcongress.com. Find more on Ashford at annashford2020.com.