¶ How To Win Against Brinker Harding
Brinker Harding criticized politicians who optimized their own careers but admitted to prepping a congressional run in the event Don Bacon retired either in 2026 or two years after. He supported the Big Ugly Bill that took health care and food assistance from Nebraskans. He supported Trump’s economic policies that included punitive tariffs that were hurting Nebraska businesses and farmers. He supported the war in Iran despite the cost increases it was imposing on Nebraskans in the form of gas, diesel, and fertilizer prices. He can’t be trusted to represent all Nebraskans fairly as demonstrated by his refusal to delete an Instagram post that proliferated President Trump’s racist sombrero meme from last fall. He also drew criticism last September when, instead of addressing the root cause of homelessness and cost-of-living issues, he proposed an ordinance criminalize homelessness. Nebraskans in the second congressional district deserve better than the cost-raising Republican policies Harding intends to continue if elected to congress.
¶ Harding Supported a bill That Would take Health coverage from nebraskans
- Harding supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cut health care for 17 million Americans, including nearly 12 million Medicaid beneficiaries. More than 23,000 Nebraskans.
- Harding advocated for balancing the budget “like we do in Omaha” if elected to Congress, which could requirecuts to Medicaid in order to achieve at the federal level. More than 114,000 Nebraskans in the 2nd District relied on Medicaid for healthcare.
Message: Harding supported a bill that would take health care from Nebraskans, all to fund tax breaks for the super rich.
¶ Harding Supported a bill That Would trigger $500 billion in Medicare cuts
- Harding supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which would trigger nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts absent future congressional action. Nearly 390,000 Nebraskans relied on Medicare for healthcare.
- Harding has also advocated for balancing the budget “like we do in Omaha” if elected to Congress, which could require cuts to Medicare to achieve at the federal level.
Message: Harding would be another vote to slash Medicare for Nebraska seniors.
¶ Harding Supported The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Which Made Significant Cuts To Food Assistance, After Saying He Thought Congress’s Job was To Protect The Programs
- Harding said Congress’s job was to “protect those programs” when asked about SNAP, but celebrated Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that cut food assistance for millions of Americans. Nearly 23,000 households in Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district relied on SNAP and Nebraska had already seen a 10% decrease in SNAP participation since the bill was enacted.
Message: Harding knows SNAP is important for Nebraskans but still supported a bill that cut food assistance all to give the super rich tax breaks.
¶ Harding Was Eager to Support Trump’s AGENDA, which INCLUDED AN AGENCY THAT HAMSTRUNG SOCIAL SECURITY
- Harding was eager to work with Trump, whose “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) weakened the Social Security Administration. DOGE cuts caused longer wait times, frequent website crashes, and mass layoffs in Social Security offices across the country. More than 107,000 Nebraskans in the 2nd congressional district relied on Social Security benefits.
- Harding has also advocated for balancing the budget “like we do in Omaha” if elected to Congress, which could require significant cuts to Social Security to achieve at the federal level.
Message: Harding was eager to support an agenda that hamstrung services seniors and Nebraskans rely on.
¶ Harding praised trump’s economic policy, which include punitive tariffs that were hurting nebraska businesses and farmers
- Harding praised Trump’s economic policy and said he looked forward to working together. Trump’s economic policy has been to impose punitive tariffs that devastated Nebraska businesses and farmers.
Message: Harding supported an agenda that raised costs on Nebraska businesses and farmers.
¶ Harding supported The Iran war That Raised Gas, Diesel, and Fertilizer costs on Nebraskans
- Harding supported Trump’s war in Iran and “peace through strength” approach to foreign policy.
- Trump’s strike caused an overnight 16 cent spike in gas prices in Nebraska, with prices continuing to rise 29.1% through late April 2026. Diesel and fertilizer prices rose nearly 50% in that time. Higher prices impacted gas for schools and sheriffs, hurt Nebraska farmers, and contributed to turmoil experienced by rural economies that were drifting into recessions.
- Trump’s war in Iran was projected to cost Americans an extra estimated $235 to fill up their car with gas, and rising fuel costs caused corporations to begin passing fuel surcharges onto American consumers. Americans were also primarily concerned with how the war would impact their wallet, with a Ipsos poll finding that 56 percent of Americas expected Trump’s war in Iran to have a “mostly negative impact” on their personal financial situation.
Message: Harding was willing to back Trump’s foreign policy that was raising prices on Nebraskans.
¶ Harding Criticized Politicians who Optimized Their Own Career, but admitted to prepping a run for congress just in case don bacon retired
- Harding said that a good representative doesn’t show up concerned about their own career. He said “the job isn’t about him” and a good representative should not be “optimizing for their own reelection” or “their own career.” However, when asked why he ran for congress so soon after being reelected to the city council, Harding said he was always looking at what he would do next and that he prepped a run for congress in case Don Bacon retired either in 2026 or two years later.
Message: Harding was just another career politician trying to climb the ladder.
¶ Harding Proposed A Controversial City Council Ordinance To Criminalize Homelessness In Omaha
- In September 2025, Harding proposed an ordinance that would institute a fine and jailtime for camping on public property in Omaha, which experts said would undermine evidence-based solutions to homelessness. This caused controversy at a public hearing. Harding defended the proposal by suggesting it was about safety and public health.
Message: Instead of addressing the rising cost of living in Omaha or the root of homelessness, Harding wanted to criminalize homelessness.
¶ Harding faced criticism after proliferating a meme widely denounced as racist
- Harding joked on social media about “sombrero memes” posted by President Trump and defended by JD Vance during the October 2025 government shutdown.
- Latino constituent groups requested Harding take down the post and apologize for the offensive content, but he defended the meme and claimed it was “an effective way to get points across.” He did so despite portraying himself as a candidate that would genuinely seek to engage and build coalitions with Nebraska’s minority communities in a candidate questionnaire. In February 2026, Harding posted that “racism is not acceptable anywhere or at anytime” but his video about the sombrero meme was still up as of May 2026.
Message: Harding talks a big game about building coalitions but was willing to engage with racist memes.
¶ Issue Briefs
¶ Harding Supported Policies That Hurt Everyday Nebraskans
Harding Supported A Bill That Took Health Coverage From Nebraskans
Harding Supported Policies That Hurt Services Nebraska Seniors Rely On
Harding Supported A Bill That Took Food Assistance From Nebraskans
Harding Supported Economic Policy That Raised Costs On Nebraskans
Harding Supported The War In Iran That Was Raising Prices On Nebraskans
Harding Tried To Criminalize Homelessness In Omaha
Harding Criticized Politicians Who Optimized Their Own Careers, But Admitted To Prepping A Congressional Run In Case Don Bacon Retired
Harding Faced Criticism After Proliferating A Meme Widely Denounced As Racist