Lincoln Project elbows into Speaker’s race by targeting Bacon among 18 GOP House members

OMAHA — A political group that made its name by opposing former President Donald Trump asked U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and 17 of his House GOP colleagues in competitive districts Tuesday to oppose Trump-friendly candidates in the vote for House Speaker.

The Lincoln Project, known for its pithy online ads attacking Trump and others they accuse of enabling him, opposed Bacon in 2020 and sought to increase turnout in swing House districts that backed President Joe Biden.

This week, the group pressed 18 GOP House members to reject the Republican frontrunners for Speaker. They called Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise “MAGA in a suit” and said Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio “proudly displays his MAGA party number.” The group did not identify a favored candidate for Speaker.

“Bacon and the rest of the Biden 18 must make a choice: Will they stand with the American people, decency, and democracy here, and around the world, or will they choose Trumpism, and chaos,” said Reed Galen, a Lincoln Project co-founder.

Galen told the Nebraska Examiner the group doesn’t want Bacon and the others to cater to Trump’s base voters. The group could damage those Republicans either way, local political observers said.

They’ll either anger moderates who oppose Trump by picking a Trumpy Speaker or they’ll anger Trump voters by picking a more traditional Republican, consultants explained.

Bacon twice endorsed Trump. He occasionally criticized the former president’s statements and actions, including after the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Trump and his team have tried recruiting a Republican to run in the 2022 and 2024 primaries against Bacon since Bacon voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Competitive districts

All 18 targeted by the group serve in districts that are fairly evenly split among Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan voters. The districts voted for Biden in 2020 while sending Republicans — like Bacon — to Congress that year.

Bacon has not publicly discussed whom he might support for Speaker. He was a strong supporter of ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

“The Lincoln Project used to be a Republican group that opposed Trump,” Bacon said. “It’s now become a full appendage of the Democrat Party. It’s doing the bidding of the Far Left and doing best to make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker.”

Jeffries is the House minority leader.

State Sen. Tony Vargas, a Democrat from Omaha, is seeking a rematch against Bacon. He said the Lincoln Project’s effort is the latest example of Bacon’s shortcomings.

“For the last 7 years, Bacon has enabled Donald Trump and contributed to the chaos that has led our country into disarray,” Vargas said. “Meanwhile, people here in Nebraska are in the crossfire, with the threat of a government shutdown hanging over our heads.”

Nebraska’s other two House members, who also backed McCarthy, have been vague about whom they might support. States Newsroom reported this week that McCarthy is willing to return if his colleagues choose him again.

Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said last week in his weekly column that he had not yet decided whom to support. Rep. Mike Flood, through a campaign spokesman, said essentially the same.

Both said Republicans need to elect a Speaker soon to “get on” or “get back” to doing “the people’s business.” Flood said he was looking forward to Tuesday night’s forum with Speaker candidates.

Some in GOP still care about Lincoln Project

Randall Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor, said some Republicans still care what the Lincoln Project says and does. The group is led by current and former conservative political consultants who oppose Trump.

“Basically what we’ve got in the Republican Party is different factions,” Adkins said. “While it looks like the Republicans may have a majority, it’s pretty clear that there is not a majority of Republicans that agree on any specific thing.”

Bacon, who represents the 2nd Congressional District, remains a Lincoln Project target because Nebraska splits its five Electoral College votes in presidential elections. All other states but Maine award votes to the popular vote winner statewide.

Here, the winner of the popular vote in each of the state’s three congressional districts earns a single electoral vote. The statewide winner earns another two votes. Trump won Nebraska in 2020 and the electoral vote in the 1st and 3rd Districts.

Biden won the 2nd District, matching the 2008 feat of his former boss, President Barack Obama. Conservatives in the Nebraska Legislature have said they will try again next session to adopt winner-take-all presidential races.

Similar bills have fallen to filibusters, derailed by Omaha and Lincoln-area state senators whose voters have said they like feeling that their votes matter. Others have complained that splitting votes distorts the will of a red state’s voters.

Biden’s team and Nebraska Democrats are laying the groundwork to compete in the Omaha area in 2024. Trump’s team has said it will do the same if he is the GOP nominee.