In the race for the 1st Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives, the Journal Star Editorial Board endorses Rep. Mike Flood.
Republican Flood, now serving his first full term after being elected in mid-2022 to serve the remainder of the term of Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, has taken many positions on issues and cast votes with which the editorial board disagrees.
But he has, it should be noted, taken responsible positions on important issues, including supporting funding for Ukraine and raising the debt ceiling and keeping the government operating.
Importantly, Flood has done considerable work on issues of importance to Lincoln, especially efforts to get the U.S. Postal Service to sell the downtown post office building to create a space for a convention center next to Pinnacle Bank Arena and finding ways to provide more truly affordable housing, one of the most critical needs not just in Lincoln but in cities and towns throughout the district.
People are also reading…
As he did as a state senator and speaker of the Legislature, Flood has been transparent, accountable and accessible in his first two years in Congress. He deserves re-election to serve the district for two more years. Flood is running against Carol Blood, who has represented the District 3 in the state Legislature since 2016.
2nd Congressional District
In the hotly contested race in the Omaha-dominated 2nd Congressional District, the Journal Star Editorial Board endorses Tony Vargas.
Democrat Vargas is challenging, for the second time, incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who has established a national presence as a moderate force against extremists in the House GOP caucus.
But, with the House likely to return to Democratic control, that role will diminish for Bacon, leaving him as a very conservative, party-following Republican representing a changing, increasingly diverse district.
State Sen. Vargas will leave the Legislature this year, having ably represented District 7, which covers downtown and southeast Omaha, and addressed important issues there, again, including housing.
Vargas, the board believes, will provide far broader representation for 2nd District, via his fresh, on-the-ground connections in the community and his positions that more closely reflected the views of the voters, like his support for abortion rights.
About our endorsements
As with all of our editorial board opinions, our election endorsements don’t necessarily reflect the unanimous opinions of our members but rather a consensus. We arrive at them after reviewing news stories and research. While we consider the board an advocate for the community, our endorsements, and all our opinions, are intended to initiate discussion.
