Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon choked back tears as he officially announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2026 as he has become frustrated with the dysfunction in Washington.
The five-term congressman spoke while surrounded by his family at a new conference in Omaha before heading back to the U.S. Capitol.
Democrats have been salivating over his retirement as the competitive 2nd district is considered a blue dot in a red state and is seen as one of their likeliest chances to flip a seat as they look to reclaim the House next year.
Bacon has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump when it came to his handling of the war in Ukraine, but he as remained a key ally on helping pass Trump’s agenda including voting for his ‘big, beautiful’ bill in the House last month despite expressing reservations.
He said he would have to see what happens in the bill in the Senate before it comes back to the House for a final vote.
The five-term congressman and Air Force veteran said that he would serve out the remainder of his term and depart Congress in January 2027 after the midterms.
“I’d like to find new ways to serve our great country,” Bacon said in a statement. “I have a love for national security, and I’ll always be a proponent for old-fashioned Ronald Reagan Conservative values.”
Bacon was first elected to Congress in 2016. He won reelection in 2026 despite Vice President Kamala Harris winning the presidential race in the district by five points.
The congressman acknowledged that the district is competitive with a lot of swing voters, but he said he believed I could have won a sixth term had he decided to run.
Bacon said he would like to spend more time with his family and looked forward to the next chapter back in Nebraska. He signaled he won’t miss being one of 435 lawmakers in the House.
His recommendation for Republicans considering a bid was to keep their eyes on the general election, but he said he thinks Republicans could keep the seat as the Democratic Party in his view shifts further left.
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