Trump again asks for GOP challenger to Bacon

Former President Trump on Monday singled out Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), asking whether any Republican wanted to challenge the three-term incumbent for his Omaha-area House seat next year.

“Anyone want to run for Congress against Don Bacon in Nebraska?” Trump said in a brief statement issued through his leadership PAC, Save America. 

The comment came a month after Trump called for Bacon and 12 other Republican lawmakers to face primary challenges after they voted in favor of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package championed by President Biden. 

So far, no Republican has jumped into the race to challenge Bacon in 2022. He has drawn two Democratic challengers, state Sen. Tony Vargas and mental health therapist Alisha Shelton. 

Bacon won his seat by 4.6 points in 2020 and represents one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. He is expected to face an onslaught from Democrats eager to flip his seat next year and is among nine House Republicans who represent districts that Biden carried in the 2020 presidential election. 

Trump has repeatedly admonished Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the infrastructure bill, blaming them for handing Democrats a key victory. Bacon, however, has defended his vote, saying after the bill’s passage in November that it has broad support among his constituents and “makes our nation stronger and more competitive for years to come.”