GOP Rep. Don Bacon won’t vie for reelection in Nebraska
GOP Rep. Don Bacon announced Monday that he would not vie for reelection next year, leaving his highly competitive House seat in Nebraska up for grabs in the 2026 cycle.
Bacon (R-Neb.), who hasn’t been shy about criticizing President Trump and disagreeing with fellow Republicans on Ukraine, explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“When we started this journey in 2015, we had one grandchild. Today, Angie and I are blessed to have eight grandchildren,” Bacon said in a statement.
“After 30 years in the Air Force and 10 years in Congress, it’s time to spend my future with the love of my life, our four kids, and our wonderful grandchildren. Thank you, Nebraska!”
Bacon is one of three sitting House Republicans who hail from a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won last November. There are 13 House Democrats who come from a district that President Trump won.
The five-term congressman comes from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which is home to Omaha and had narrowly eked out a win last cycle — 50.9% to 49.1% — in one of the closest races in the country.
Given the ultra-slim 220 to 212 GOP majority in the House, Bacon’s decision not to run for reelection complicates their path to holding the lower chamber.
If Bacon ran for reelection, he would’ve likely faced another tough race to hold onto his seat, given that many analysts expect the midterms to be a blue wave year for House contests.
“The writing has been on the wall for months. Nebraskans are tired of the false promises that Republicans are trying to sell and they want real results,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus, a spokesperson, chided in a statement.
“Don Bacon’s decision to not seek reelection in 2026 is the latest vote of no-confidence for House Republicans and their electoral prospects. Next November, Nebraskans are going to elect a Democrat who will actually deliver for them.”
Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, had been one of a handful of Republicans in Congress who publicly criticized Trump’s approach to Ukraine.
“I feel so strongly about it, I just don’t care,” Bacon told The Post in March, while accusing the president of taking “a pro-Russian view” of the brutal war.
“He has been very weak on Ukraine,” Bacon, bluntly added, “and he’s been a bit of an appeaser to Russia.”
The Nebraska Republican had also been a critic of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the leaked Signal chat earlier this year.
Bacon’s announcement comes after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) revealed that he would not be seeking reelection in 2026, leaving one of the GOP’s most vulnerable seats up for grabs.