Tuesday is primary day in Nebraska. One of the hottest races here in Omaha is the battle for Congress in District 2.
Republicans Don Bacon and Chip Maxwell are vying for the chance to run against incumbent Brad Ashford. Sunday night we profiled Maxwell. Monday night we profiled Don Bacon.
Retired Air Force Brigadier General Don Bacon had only been a politician for 14 months when he started this campaign. "Started out with a team of 4 for maybe 2 months, and then maybe 3 months 9 or 10 of us. And then grew into a formidable team." That support comes in the form of high-profile endorsements. Those Include Governor Pete Ricketts, Senator Deb Fischer, local sheriffs Tim Dunning and Jeff Davis, all lining up to back the man who calls himself a "Federalist". "Center of gravity for government was really supposed to be at the state and local level but what we've seen over the last decade is the power grab from Washington and they're doing things they're not good at."
Bacon says the federal government should let states manage programs like healthcare and education. Should he move on to the general election, Bacon says he'll challenge Congressman Brad Ashford on these main points: the national debt, government regulation & business growth, reforming the tax code, national security: specifically defeating ISIS and Al Qaeda. "I'll be the most senior retired military member in the house... And AQ in Iraq at the time, I want to hold the administration's feet to the fire making sure we have a comprehensive plan for their defeat."
The Air Force veteran of nearly 30 years, now retired himself, says its time for social security reform. "Entitlements is about 40-45 percent of our spending. If you don't include that, I don't think you can solve the problem."
Bacon is a father of 4 and an assistant professor at Bellevue University. If he's elected to Congress, he says he's willing to work with Democrats and that's the way the framers of the constitution intended. "Madison talked about that. you cant just do it on your own. the system is not for a single branch or single person getting their way, you have to find common ground to move forward."
Polls open Tuesday at 8 a.m. And close at 8 p.m.
