Nebraska Republican Don Bacon Announces Decision Not to Pursue Re-Election for Congress

Rep. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican from Nebraska, is reportedly planning to announce his retirement from Congress, as confirmed by two sources familiar with the situation. The formal announcement is anticipated next week, coinciding with a significant House vote on President Donald Trump’s ambitious “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Bacon, who has represented Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District since 2017, faced a narrow victory in his elections, notably winning by less than 5,000 votes against his Democratic challenger.

In recent years, his re-elections have been closely contested; in the last election, he secured his seat by a margin of less than 2 percentage points. His planned retirement opens the door for Democrats to potentially gain a seat in a district that has leaned Democratic in various recent elections.

In the 2020 presidential race, Joe Biden won Bacon’s district by a significant margin, and in 2024, then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by nearly 5 percentage points. This trend indicates that Bacon’s departure could shift the political landscape in a district that has shown increasing support for Democratic candidates.

Notably, Bacon has been one of the few Republican voices willing to critique Trump’s policies, often clashing with the former president over tariffs and his diplomatic approach to Russia. With his retirement, Bacon will join several other Republicans who have chosen not to run for re-election in the upcoming cycle; nine House Democrats have also opted to step down from their positions.