Don Bacon

Don Bacon, born on August sixteenth, nineteen sixty-three, is a prominent American politician and retired military officer. He has represented Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since two thousand seventeen. With a distinguished career spanning twenty-nine years in the United States Air Force, Bacon commanded wings at both Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, retiring as a brigadier general in two thousand fourteen.

A member of the Republican Party, Bacon is often viewed as a centrist or moderate Republican. His district, which encompasses all of Omaha and the surrounding areas of Offutt Air Force Base, has been a competitive battleground, having been won by Democratic candidates Joe Biden in two thousand twenty and Kamala Harris in the two thousand twenty-four presidential election. Known for his independent stance, Bacon has been labeled a maverick for opposing the isolationist and protectionist policies of former President Donald Trump, who has referred to him as a 'rebel.'

In Congress, Bacon is an active member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He was an original sponsor of the Naming Commission, which aimed to remove names honoring the Confederacy from Department of Defense assets, and he supported the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which recognized lynching as a distinct hate crime. Additionally, he voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which established federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Notably, he was among the few Republicans who opposed efforts to overturn the two thousand twenty election results and supported the investigation into the January sixth attack.

Bacon has been a vocal critic of the far-right House Freedom Caucus and has emerged as a significant Republican voice against the second Trump administration. His foreign policy expertise has made him a target for sanctions from the Russian government, and he was the first member of Congress to be hacked by the Chinese government. In June two thousand twenty-five, The New York Times reported that Bacon would not seek re-election in two thousand twenty-six, citing the dysfunction in Washington, divisions within the Republican Party, and a desire to spend more time with his grandchildren as factors in his decision.