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Democrat

Crystal Rhoades

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Democrat

Crystal Rhoades

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NE-02 Democratic nominee?

$432.2K

MAY 19, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleFormer Commissioner

PartyDemocratic

Political ideologyMainstream Democrat

Age48 years old (Mar 17, 1978)

GenderFemale

LocationNebraska

BackgroundPolitician

EducationUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha — B.A., Political Science and Psychology (2004)

Notable personal detailsCrystal Rhoades is a Nebraska Democratic politician who served on the Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors (2006–2014) and the Nebraska Public Service Commission (2015–2023). She has served as Douglas County Clerk of the District Court since January 2023. Rhoades ran for the U.S. House in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle.

SourcesShow

fec.gov en.wikipedia.org crystal4congress.com onyourballot.vote411.org linkedin.com nebraskapublicmedia.org nebraskaexaminer.com branch.vote ballotready.org thereader.com apnews.com wowt.com webforms.fec.gov plains-sentinel.com citizensuccess.com sos.nebraska.gov nebraskalegislature.gov image.jewishinsider.com archive.ph insideclimatenews.org boldnebraska.org psc.nebraska.gov ksl.com sfgate.com philipjmontag.medium.com patrioticmillionaires.org congress.gov crystalrhoades.com signalhire.com womencount.org governing.com yahoo.com secure.actblue.com ketv.com business.x.com docs.x.com facebook.com legislation.ballotpedia.org developer.ballotpedia.org x.com cdn.ballotpedia.org legal.x.com voterguide.ballotpedia.org bacon.house.gov house.gov schatz.senate.gov ogles.house.gov clerk.house.gov govinfo.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

Economy & Taxes

Supports tax relief targeted to middle- and working-class families, protecting Social Security, taxing legalized cannabis for revenue, and opposes tax breaks for billionaires while advocating policies to grow wages and reduce costs for households.

Healthcare

Supports expanding government-provided health coverage, endorsing either a public option or Medicare for All and addressing Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement and system waste to expand access and lower costs.

Immigration & Border

Supports comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship for workers in needed fields, and policies to ensure immigrants are not living in fear and can participate fully (including paying taxes).

Climate & Energy

Supports actions to address climate-related risks to infrastructure and has opposed at least one major oil pipeline route over concerns about flooding, erosion, and impacts to land and water; emphasizes monitoring and preparing for climate impacts while supporting clean-energy–oriented measures at local institutions.

Public Safety & Guns

The candidate has expressed support for stricter gun laws and has publicly backed Democratic candidates who favor stronger gun-control measures. Statements indicate she views tighter gun regulations as necessary to protect children and reduce fear about school safety.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJun 11, 2026

Crystal Rhoades is in the news because she is one of the Democrats running in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District primary, where the party is choosing its nominee for the Omaha-area House seat. The race is competitive and has drawn heavy outside spending, with Rhoades mentioned alongside John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell as a leading contender. The winner will face Republican Brinker Harding in the general election.

fec.gov+48

Articles

PNPBS News1 month ago