RESULTS: Incumbent GOP Rep. Don Bacon projected to defeat Democrat Kara Eastman to represent Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District

• GOP Rep. Don Bacon is projected to defeat Democrat Kara Eastman in a re-match for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.
• Bacon defeated Eastman in 2018 in the general election by just two percentage points.
• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District is home to Douglas County and the state's largest city, Omaha.
• See the live coverage and full results from all US House elections.

GOP Rep. Don Bacon is projected to successfully defend his seat against Democratic challenger Kara Eastman in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.

The candidates

Bacon, the incumbent, is a veteran of the United States Air Force. Following his time in the military, he served as the military advisor for Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. Bacon's legislative agenda and campaign is centered around agriculture, oversight and government reform, strengthening national defense, and supporting US veterans.

Bacon's challenger, Eastman, is a social worker and small business owner. In 2014, Eastman was elected to a four-year term to the Board of Governors of Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. She ran on a campaign to lower prescription drug costs, lower college tuition, and address climate change.

After losing by just 2% to Bacon in 2018, Eastman faced pressure in the Democratic primaries, namely from Ann Ashford. In response to Ashford's campaigns against Eastman, Eastman received support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a campaign email.

"Establishment forces have been aligned against Kara since the beginning," the email said. "In 2018, Kara came within just 2 points of defeating the incumbent Republican...but the Democratic Party still tried to recruit a different challenger. Instead of uniting behind her, they tried to find someone with fewer progressive policy planks to run instead," it added, in a thinly-veiled reference to Ashford.

Ann Ashford's husband former Rep. Brad Ashford, who previously represented the district from 2014 to 2016, has since endorsed Bacon.

Two recent Democratic internal polls from this summer indicated that the race was quite close. An internal poll from the Eastman campaign conducted June 30-July 5 found Eastman leading by one point, 50% to 49%. An earlier poll conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in May prior to her primary win also showed her ahead by one point, 48% to 47%.

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The district

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District is located on the eastern edge of the state. It is home to Omaha, the state's largest city, as well as Douglas County and the western region of Sarpy County. Since 1995, the district has only been represented for one term by a Democrat.

The district was a top target for Democrats to win both in the House of Representatives and in the electoral college this November.

Nebraska allocates their five electoral college votes proportionally, with two allocated based on the statewide vote and the other three based on the results in each of the state's three congressional districts, meaning the second district is worth one vote on its own.

Nebraska's 2nd went for former President Barack Obama in 2008, but then swung to Mitt Romney in 2012 and President Donald Trump in 2016, backing Trump by just two percentage points, according to the Daily Kos.

But as America's suburbs continue trending blue, Democrats hoped this year to defeat the Republican incumbent and win the district's vote in the electoral college.

The money race

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Eastman raised $3.67 million, spent $3.63 million, and had around $93,600 in cash on hand. Bacon raised $3.4 million, spent $2.6 million, and had around $815,000 in cash on hand.

What experts say

The race between Eastman and Bacon was rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections and The Cook Political Report and "leans Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.