A huge democratic victory in Omaha offers a lesson for the party

In recent months, the Trump administrationReckless use of executive power,, trade policy,, Avoid federal agencies And Defying judicial orders has become largely uncontrolled. National Democrats have limited means of opposition – so that the best hope of responsibility will be electoral responsibility.

This can help explain why last Tuesday's elections 41st larger city ​​generated such disproportionate progressives. John Ewing Jr., longtime county treasurer, was elected first black mayor of Omaha, defeating president in president Jean Stothert, who was looking for a fourth term after having occupied this office since 2013. More than that, Ewing won Grand, almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by almost by 13 pointsMarking a huge quarter of work after Stothert won his last race at 30.

Ewing has led a substantial and highly localized campaign that relied on decades of credibility which he has won as a civil servant – applied by the long -standing work of the Democratic Party of Nebraska to build coalitions in a traditionally deep state. By swinging this 43 -point race, they both inspired the hope that political winds could change and provided a model for Democrats To succeed in 2026 and beyond.

The results in Omaha are significant not for the city scale, but for the way it can reflect the country as a whole. The siege of the Omaha Congress – the second in Nebraska – is a real swing district, one of the only three in the country which voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 while electing a republican at the Congress. It is a city of diversified midwest, of medium size, and if that was not enough to transmit its heart status, it is almost in the geographic center contiguous United States.

For all these reasons, it is instructive for the Democrats to understand the strategy of the president of the Democratic Party of Nebraska, which is now president of the association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) and Vice-President of the DNC: Jane Kleeb. In a moment when so much media attention focused on the internal procedural drama surrounding Some other chefsKleeb and the Democratic Party of Nebraska have continued to focus on daily work.

In the decreasing days of Omaha mayors' elections, Stothert tried to negatively polarize the voters against Ewing by nationalizing the race – and, in particular, to hammer the target of the favorite corner problem in the GOP lately: trans people. Like my colleague John Nichols spoke of last week for The nationIt didn't work. Instead, Ewing refused to bait and have kept the emphasis on tangible municipal problems – such as accommodation,, Street paving And even a Tram project in difficulty. In a simple graph released three days before the elections, the Nebraska Democratic Party proudly declared: “Jean focuses on the soups. John focuses on fixing the nests-de-poule.”

While thousands of democrats across the country are looking for elections at the top and bottom of the voting bulletin in 2026, they could also refuse to debate republican terms and carry out relentless campaigns have focused on improving the life of their voters.

As successful as this campaign has been, it is also based on efforts on the level of the state of the Democratic Party of Nebraska to compete in unfavorable territory. Kleeb has long pleaded for Democrats to carry out direct awareness towards rural voters – and it is not the same thing as pandering. Instead, this means recognizing real problems which, say, farmers live and offer practical solutions.

In His words: “In rural and small cities, we cannot use the word” climate change “in the first five sentences, but all we do is talk about the protection of the earth and the water.”

And the progressives of Nebraska are experiencing one or two on the value of avoiding toxic political labels. When the veteran of the navy, the mechanic and the chief of the Union Dan Osborn led a populist and independent campaign for the Senate last year, the Democratic Party of Nebraska has moved away and chose not to direct a candidate. While Osborn and the State Party had their differences– And he finally lost – this unorthodox strategy has shown seriously upwards. Osborn got closer to the defeat of the outgoing republican than any other challenger in cycle 2024; Now he looks at a 2026 run In much more favorable circumstances.