Denise Powell, the Democratic nominee in Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District, publicly opposed the state's 2023 law restricting gender transition procedures for minors, calling it "discriminatory and hateful" in social media posts that Republicans are now highlighting ahead of November's election.
Before becoming her party's nominee, Powell made multiple Facebook and TikTok posts opposing LB 574, Nebraska's "Let Them Grow Act," which prohibits gender transition procedures for minors and regulates the use of puberty blockers and hormone treatments for those under 19. The legislature passed the measure 33-15, and Gov. Jim Pillen signed it into law.
What the Left Is Saying
In a March 2023 Facebook post on The Bellwether Initiative Nebraska page, where she was listed as an administrator, Powell urged Nebraskans to contact their state senators and join her at the Capitol during debate while wearing a shirt reading "PROTECT TRANS KIDS." She wrote that laws like LB 574 were passing across the country — citing Iowa, Kentucky, and Tennessee — and said Nebraska had "the opportunity to set an example; to show trans kids and families around the country that we won't stand for this discriminatory and hateful behavior."
Powell also praised lawmakers "fighting this on the front line" and wrote: "Trans people belong in Nebraska and everywhere and we will never ever stop fighting for their right to exist and thrive." In a TikTok video posted Feb. 8, 2023, she captioned footage of protests with "LB 574 hurt kids. Call your senator and tell them TRANS NEBRASKANS BELONG." Her campaign website lists lowering costs, protecting healthcare access and abortion rights, supporting workers, and opposing President Donald Trump's "abuse of power and attacks on our democracy" as her priorities.
What the Right Is Saying
Jon Schweppe, a former Trump administration official at the FTC and senior advisor at American Principles Project, said: "NE-2 is a swing district known for electing moderates, but Denise Powell is about as radical as it gets. Not only has she been an advocate for transgender sex changes for kids, but she served on the board of an organization which opposes parental rights in education and promotes an 'LGBTQ liberation' curriculum for fifth graders."
Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called Powell "a rubber stamp for the radical far-left, supporting their most extreme policies, including sex change surgeries for kids," adding that she "continues to prove that she rejects common sense and is completely out of touch with Nebraska values." In April, a bill from Republican state Sen. Kathleen Kauth to expand LB 574 by banning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for those under 19 failed to advance in the legislature.
What the Numbers Show
The Nebraska Legislature passed LB 574 by a 33-15 vote before Pillen signed it into law. A poll conducted that year by Nebraska First PAC found 61% of likely Nebraska voters supported prohibiting "gender altering procedures like surgeries, puberty blockers, or hormone therapies" for those under 19, while 78% agreed children should wait until adulthood before undergoing "irreversible, sex-change surgeries." Powell is challenging Republican Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding for the open 2nd District seat, a race Democrats are seeking to flip as Republicans defend a razor-thin House majority.
The Bottom Line
The posts give Republicans an opening in a district known for electing moderates and add social policy to what was already shaping up as a competitive contest over Nebraska's open 2nd District seat. Powell's campaign did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, which first reported on the unearthed posts. Voters will decide between Powell and Harding in November.