OMAHA — The first debate of the second race between Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas and Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon drew clearer lines between the candidates than the last campaign.
Both candidates punched holes in one another’s stances Friday on abortion, immigration, guns and ethics during the hourlong debate hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Omaha Press Club. The debate was aired on WOWT.
Abortion front and center
As in 2022, Vargas emphasized his support for reproductive rights and Bacon defended his belief that new life deserves protection.
But on Friday, neither gave an inch to his opponent to add nuance or explain the subtleties of their stances on abortion access, limits or exceptions.
Bacon defended his stance that he has long supported exceptions to any federal or state abortion ban to protect the life of the mother, if endangered by a complicated pregnancy.
He said he supports the Nebraska ballot measure by Protect Women and Children because of “reasonable restrictions” and “exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”
Current Nebraska law prohibits abortions after 12 weeks gestational age. The Protect Women and Children ballot measure, Initiative Measure 434, would ban abortions after the first trimester, with those exceptions.
Vargas gave no quarter, stressing that a proposed constitutional amendment Bacon co-sponsored would have banned abortion nationally, and the language contained no exceptions.
“He co-sponsored a full abortion ban … three different times, with no exceptions for the life of the mother, for rape, or incest. There are no carve-outs for IVF,” Vargas said.
Vargas said he supports a ballot measure put forward by Protect Our Rights, Initiative Measure 439, to codify a Nebraska right to abortion until “fetal viability,” as defined by a treating health care provider.
The current scientific standard for viability is roughly 22-24 weeks gestation. Bacon and others have argued that language creates opportunities for abortions later into a pregnancy.
“He’s been asked for years what restrictions he would support,” Bacon said. “Only seven countries in the world … have abortion on demand up until birth. That’s where this man stands.”
Vargas said he does not support “abortion on demand” and has said so before. He said his stance on the issue is informed by worrying his daughter will have fewer rights than his wife did.
Immigration remains hot topic
As in the last race, Bacon said Vargas and any Democrat who supports the Biden administration’s approach to immigration and border security has lost voters’ trust on the issue.
Bacon said Democrats have been unserious about the importance of deterring illegal immigration and credited former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” approach as effective.
That policy required applicants for U.S. asylum to wait in Mexico for the weeks, months or sometimes years until a U.S. immigration court can hear their case.
“We need to have a policy that does ‘Remain in Mexico,’ that’s screened for human rights … but we just can’t let the president arbitrarily do this without the consent of the House.”
Vargas criticized Bacon and other Republicans for killing a bipartisan border security bill by U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma after being urged to by Trump.
Many Republicans and Democrats have said the Lankford bill was the closest Congress had come in a generation to passing changes. Among other things, it included more funding for border enforcement and immigration courts.
Vargas called this “the most ineffective Congress … in any of our generations” and said Nebraskans deserve members of Congress who will “solve problems” and not listen to Trump.
While Bacon has endorsed Trump three times, he said he has spoken up when Trump deserved it, leading to criticism from Trump and a primary challenge.
Gun restrictions vs. criminal justice reforms
On guns, Vargas said Bacon and House Republicans seem more interested in protecting gun owners and the National Rifle Association than protecting people and police in their communities.
Vargas said he backs “common-sense gun safety legislation,” including expanded background checks, red flag laws and efforts to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
“The majority of Nebraskans and Americans would also support common-sense gun safety legislation,” Vargas said. “It’s members of Congress … that are voting against bipartisan solutions.”
Bacon said he supports the 2nd Amendment and would keep violent criminals behind bars longer. He criticized Vargas’ support in the Legislature for criminal justice reform.
Bacon said law enforcement officials tell him Vargas’ support for a state law making it harder to hold violent juvenile offenders behind bars has made the Omaha area less safe.
He said the change in law has forced police to arrest the same young people multiple times and has led to more crime.
“The best way to do gun control is to keep violent people behind bars,” Bacon said. “Don’t let them out early…. The best thing we could do is make sure people serve their time.”
Vargas and other supporters of Legislative Bill 50 have argued the change was needed to give children pulled into gangs and crime a better chance to rehabilitate.
Vargas emphasized his support for $37 million in law enforcement funding from the Legislature as evidence that he is interested in public safety and a balanced approach.
Bacon pointed toward Tony Conner, a former leader in the Omaha Police Officers Association and state chair of the Fraternal Order of Police, and said police and prosecutors endorsed him.
Ethics fight gets personal
On ethics, the two candidates sparred about the role of outside money in the 2nd District campaign, which typically sees millions of dollars spent on outside advertising.
Both criticized the tendency of outside groups to distort the truth about their records in ads. Both also said their campaigns would not stop amplifying their opponent’s votes and decisions.
Bacon highlighted a Washington Examiner article accusing some swing-state House candidates and former candidates, including Vargas, of taking part in a mid-term fellowship program.
He questioned why Vargas accepted the $60,000 fellowship between races from a dark-money group aligned with Democratic donor and attorney Mark Elias.
An outside group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission about the Elias group and the fellowship, but election lawyers said it was unlikely to succeed. The Washington Examiner story cited an FEC complaint that alleged the fellowships were aimed at candidates who were between races or who needed time to recover and recharge after a recent campaign.
The newspaper reported the candidates were expected to research policy positions, consider political strategy and weigh how they might better connect public policy with people’s needs.
Vargas accused Bacon of doing the bidding of dark money groups behind the FEC complaint, saying people who want to defeat him are “trying to make something out of nothing.”
He criticized Bacon for a ProPublica report that said his office acted unethically by helping a Trump Media executive get visa help after a longtime friend called.
The group reported that a local Republican asked Bacon’s office to help Vladimir Novachki of North Macedonia, who helped build the backbone of what became Trump’s Truth Social platform.
A staffer told ProPublica she felt pressured by her boss to speed up the process for the Trump-aligned applicant. Bacon said he does that sort of visa work for hundreds of people who call for help, and not just political allies.
Funding talk
Vargas said Bacon’s corporate donors and special interest groups hold an outsized sway over how he governs and said Americans “need to get money out of politics.”
Vargas said he would like to see people organize to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United that essentially made campaign spending into a free speech right.
Bacon said he understands people’s problem with the higher amounts of campaign spending since Citizens United, but said he respects people’s right to have their voices heard.
Bacon has raised more than $4.3 million and had $2.2 million in campaign cash on hand, federal campaign finance filings show.
Vargas has raised $3.5 million and had $2.5 million in cash on hand.
Additionally, outside groups have spent nearly $8 million on the race, according to OpenSecrets.org, which monitors congressional race financing.
National interest in the swing district race is high because it is one of about a dozen politically split districts.
As Bacon noted during the debate, another reason is because of national interest in the presidential campaign between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
But, he said, Republican candidates are facing an uphill battle against tens of millions of dollars in spending on 2nd District ads and canvassing by the Democrats to help Harris and very little — hundreds of thousands of dollars — being spent in the district by Republicans to help Trump.
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