I find people fascinating, especially when it comes to elections.

I wish I could say that people make their decisions on who they’re going to vote for based on due diligence and facts. I wish I could say that voters do their research and look at the pros and cons of every candidate before making an informed, logical decision.

I also wish I could say that Santa Claus is real. But we all know that neither of those two things is true.

Recently, I had a conversation with a female friend of mine about Denise Powell. My friend said that she saw Denise Powell’s personal Facebook page and was turned off by the candidate’s profile picture.

Now, mind you, this was her personal page, and not her campaign Facebook page.

Her profile picture is a selfie in the bathroom mirror. The picture showed her from the shoulders up, where you just saw the straps of what could have been a tank top, bathing suit, or a bra. In the background hung a couple of bath towels.

You’ve seen pictures like that a thousand times on social media, but those times weren’t for high-profile candidates running for office. My friend thought that the picture was unprofessional. She thought it was unbecoming for someone looking for a job, let alone a congressional seat.

Now, does that picture have anything to do with Powell’s qualifications? Of course not. It’s not rational, but it’s affecting my friend’s vote on May 12th. That post bothered her.

Someone else might look at that same picture and get a good feeling about Denise Powell. They might think that makes her more relatable to the everyday person. That too has nothing to do with Powell’s qualifications for Congress.

So, what are her qualifications?

I’ve never met Denise. I have had conversations or dealings with all the other major candidates.

Unlike Cavanaugh or Rhoades, Powell has never served in public office. And unlike Kishla Askins she has never been in combat zones or served in the Pentagon.

Until recently, all I knew about her was her nonstop TV ads. So, I did some research and found some things that just don’t sit right with me.

She promotes that she formed a PAC called Women Who Run. If she’s a big advocate for female candidates, why do her campaign ads say that Pillen will be governor if Cavanaugh goes to Washington?

If she supports female candidates, why is she dismissing Lynne Walz like that? Pillen is vulnerable and there’s a qualified female Democratic candidate running against him. I’m not surprised she didn’t support Jean Stothert, but to throw a fellow female Democrat under the bus for her own personal gain doesn’t sit right with me.

For that matter, her website says that she wants to end Citizens United. That’s a great campaign slogan, but no freshman congressperson can get that done. It takes an amendment to the Constitution. She’s taking in a lot of PAC donations, so is she really serious about getting money out of politics?

I asked ChatGPT to tell me about her family. On her website, there is a picture of her with her husband and two children. Her site says she’s a mom, but there is no mention of her husband. Chat GPT knows little or nothing of her family.

A high-ranking person in the Nebraska Democratic Party told me that Denise Powell’s family was connected to the start of Telemundo. Chat GPT told me of Joaquin Blaya, who was the former president and CEO of Telemundo. Denise Powell’s maiden name is Blaya, but when I asked about Joaquin’s family, it said that not much is known about them.

She doesn’t have much of a digital imprint of her life before politics.

I did my due diligence on Denise Powell and found that Reid Hoffman is a large contributor to her campaign. The Epstein files say that Hoffman spent time on the pedophile’s island and his New York condo.

I’m sure Brinker Harding will capitalize on these things if she makes it to the general election.

Will she win the nomination? I have no doubt she’ll have a strong showing. It would be embarrassing for her to spend all that PAC money and not have a good turnout.

I’m still doing my due diligence on the other candidates. I’m one of the numerous voters who are undecided on this race.

I do know I won’t be voting for Denise Powell, and it has nothing to do with her bathroom Facebook photo.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.