Don Bacon
Updated: Wikipedia source
Donald John Bacon (born August 16, 1963) is an American politician and retired military officer who has served as the U.S. representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 2017. During his 29 years in the United States Air Force, he commanded wings at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha, Nebraska, before retiring as a brigadier general in 2014. A member of the Republican Party, his district includes all of Omaha and the areas surrounding the Offutt base. Bacon is often considered a centrist or moderate Republican. His district was carried by Democratic candidates Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, making it a perennial swing district. Bacon has been described as a maverick for his opposition to the isolationist and protectionist policies proposed by Donald Trump, who has derided him as a "rebel." Bacon self identifies as a Reagan Republican. A member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Bacon was an original sponsor of the Naming Commission, which stripped the Department of Defense of names valorizing the Confederacy, and of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which established lynching as a unique hate crime, and voted to enact the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal recognition of same-sex marriage. He was one of 37 Republicans who rejected attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and one of 35 who supported the committee to investigate the January 6th attack. He has repeatedly sparred with members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Bacon has been among the most prominent Republican critics of the second Trump administration. As an active voice on foreign policy, Bacon is one of a slate of U.S. representatives sanctioned by the Russian government and was the first member of Congress to be hacked by the Chinese government. In June 2025, The New York Times reported that Bacon would not seek re-election in 2026. His decision not to run came amidst Trump's efforts to pass his "Big Beautiful Bill" with Bacon stating that "dysfunction" in Washington and "divisions" among the Republican Party, as well as his desire to spend more time with his grandchildren, contributed to his decision. Bacon ultimately voted for the bill.