Rep. Don Bacon just survived his primary by touting the right-wing credentials that first got him elected to Congress in 2016. Bacon was up against Dan Frei, who secured an astounding 38% of the vote (with 95% reporting) despite Bacon’s strong name I.D. and the $120,000 he spent on the race. Bacon got so desperate he even promoted polling showing his lead and pushed out oppo on Frei. Bacon will now have a rematch against his 2022 opponent Tony Vargas, who lost by less than 6,000 votes.
“Bacon’s victory has come at the cost of reminding voters — and ad makers — that he is no moderate, and is merely a right-wing chameleon willing to say anything to secure a vote,” said American Bridge spokesperson Philip Shulman.
Bacon’s refusal to be honest with voters had one local party pull their endorsement of Bacon and give it to his opponent, as well as cost him the endorsement of the state party, which also reportedly helped with mailers supporting Bacon’s opponent. At one point Bacon openly admitted, “I just go with the voters, if that’s where the voters are at.”
But no matter what Bacon says, his record is clear.
After scrubbing his website of endorsements from rabid anti-abortion rights groups, Bacon felt his primary heating up and ran at least two ads, one touting his endorsement by Nebraska Right to Life, and another saying his priority is “defending the unborn by supporting pro-life policies.” He secured the endorsement, in part, by agreeing that abortion should be banned even in cases of rape or incest. Bacon also made sure to update his campaign website with the endorsements.
Bacon also tried to play “moderate” by dropping his support of the Life at Conception Act, despite previously cosponsoring the legislation in 2019 and 2021. What’s more is that when he was asked if he personally agreed with the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision to ban IVF, Bacon refused to answer the question.
Before Roe was overturned, Bacon signed on to a letter asking SCOTUS to overturn Roe as well as “another asking the justices to allow states to ban hospitals from providing emergency abortions.” And less than a year later when Roe was struck down, Bacon said “I thought this was a significant day and a good day.” He added a layer of cruelty when he put out a press release roughly a month later touting his votes against the “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022” and H.R. 8297, the “Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022.”
Abortion isn’t the only issue where Bacon will do whatever he thinks will help his electoral chances. Again playing the “moderate,” Bacon initially resisted the GOP’s sham impeachment inquiry. But, despite month after month of the GOP-led committee proving it was nothing more than a taxpayer-funded, politically-motivated, Trump-instigated charade, Don Bacon had seen everything he needed to flip-flop and support the impeachment inquiry.
Bacon also voted to investigate the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that led to the death of six law enforcement officers. But just weeks later, he voted against investigating.
“You can’t trust Don Bacon,” Shulman concluded.
Published: May 15, 2024