May 7, 2026 

Omaha, NE – A newly formed dark money Republican super PAC, Lead Left, is running $200,000 worth of misleading TV ads in the final five days of the NE-02 primary race. The ads claim Democrat John Cavanaugh is “MAGA John Cavanaugh.” Cavanaugh is running to stop the Trump agenda. 

You can find the ad HERE.

With these ads, Republicans are supporting Denise Powell, the millionaire political consultant at the center of an active investigation into foreign money being funneled into local elections. The millions of dollars in dark money from Trump donors, MAGA-affiliated special interest groups, and out-of-state billionaires being spent to boost her candidacy raise serious questions about why Republicans are so desperate to defeat Cavanaugh and run against Powell instead.

The Lead Left ad comes after the American Action Network (a 501C4 aligned with Republican Speaker Mike Johnson) ran an extensive ad campaign telling Democratic primary voters to “thank Senator Cavanaugh for standing with President Trump’s agenda.” You can find Cavanaugh’s earlier statement and watch the American Action Network digital/television ad here.  

Metadata buried in Lead Left’s website links to WinRed, clearly linking this super PAC to Republicans.

These Republican ads are lying to voters. While Cavanaugh introduced legislation to remove the state’s tax on tips and overtime wages, he is a leading progressive voice in the Nebraska Legislature endorsed by Democrats such as Congressman Jamie Raskin.

This is another clear sign that Republicans view Cavanaugh as the most formidable general election opponent.