“If you can win in Nebraska with these charges, you can probably win anywhere,” said Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist. But if Herbster loses, DuHaime said, Trump could point to the charges against him as the culprit, rather than the diminishing power of his endorsement.
Later this year, Herschel Walker, another Trump-approved candidate who has faced domestic abuse allegations, will run for the Senate, although he will not face a competitive primary.
Understand the 2022 midterm elections
Why are these midterms so important? This year’s races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, shattering President Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term. They will also test former President Donald J. Trump’s role as GOP kingmaker. Here’s what you need to know:
And in Missouri, where Trump has yet to give approval, former Governor Eric Greitens has alarmed some Republican insiders by sticking to his Senate offer even after his former wife accused him of abusing her and their children, the latter in a series of scandals for Greitens.
Will the Democrats’ fresh start pay off in a battlefield?
The Democratic primaries in Nebraska’s Second Congressional district were some of the most eventful in recent House history, even though few people noticed.
In 2018, Kara Eastman, then an underfunded candidate backed by the progressive group Justice Democrats, defeated former district congressman Brad Ashford in the primary. Democrats, convinced Eastman was too liberal for this Republican suburban seat, largely ignored the district, but were surprised to see how close Eastman came to victory.
In 2020, Eastman won the primary again — this time with Democratic establishment support and a messaging makeover. She defeated Ashford’s wife, Ann Ashford, in the primary. Then Brad Ashford crossed party lines to support Representative Don Bacon, a Republican who won reelection.
This year, the Democrats are trying again, but with a new candidate. The primary comes down to Tony Vargas, a state senator, and Alisha Shelton, a mental health practitioner who placed third in the 2020 Senate primary.
