Nebraska Democratic congressional nominee Denise Powell is facing sharp criticism over social media posts in which she opposed a 2023 state law restricting gender transition procedures for minors, with Republican opponents describing her as out of step with the swing district she hopes to represent.
Powell, who is challenging Republican Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding for Nebraska's open 2nd Congressional District, posted on Facebook and TikTok in 2023 against LB 574, the Let Them Grow Act. The measure prohibits gender transition procedures for minors and regulates the use of puberty blockers and hormone treatments for people under 19.
In a March 2023 Facebook post, Powell urged Nebraskans to contact their state senators and join her at the Capitol on the final day of the first round of floor debate on the bill, while wearing a shirt that read «PROTECT TRANS KIDS». She argued that similar legislation was moving through other states and that Nebraska had a chance to show transgender children and families that it would not tolerate what she called discriminatory and hateful behavior.
«Laws like this one are passing all over the country — Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, to name a few. Nebraska has 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 wrote in the post.
She also praised lawmakers who were fighting against the bill, urging supporters to «call or tweet at your senators TODAY». «Trans people belong in Nebraska and everywhere and we will never ever stop fighting for their right to exist and thrive», she added.
Powell's opposition extended to TikTok, where she posted under the username dbpinomaha. One video showed her drinking from a mug bearing the words «Lord it's too early for the garbage» before displaying the Nebraska State Capitol and footage of protesters holding signs reading «Trans Nebraskans Belong». The clip also included photos that appeared to show Powell in her car holding one of the signs, and its caption said LB 574 hurt kids, adding, «Call your senator and tell them TRANS NEBRASKANS BELONG».
In a separate TikTok post on March 31, 2023, Powell shared video of student walkouts at high schools in Omaha and Lincoln held in support of transgender youth, writing, «we are here for it!».
The Nebraska Legislature approved LB 574 by a 33-15 vote, and Governor Jim Pillen signed it into law. A poll conducted for Nebraska First PAC that year found that 61% of likely Nebraska voters supported prohibiting what the poll described as gender-altering procedures such as surgeries, puberty blockers, or hormone therapies for people under 19, while 78% agreed that children should wait until adulthood before undergoing what it called irreversible sex-change surgeries. In April, a Republican-backed bill to expand LB 574 by banning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for those under 19 failed to advance.
The posts have become a point of attack in the campaign for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Jon Schweppe, a former Trump official at the Federal Trade Commission and senior adviser at American Principles Project, said Powell was «about as radical as it gets» for a district known for electing moderates. He also pointed to her board service with an organization that, in his words, opposes parental rights in education and promotes an «LGBTQ liberation» curriculum for fifth graders.
Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Powell is «a rubber stamp for the radical far-left, supporting their most extreme policies, including sex change surgeries for kids». He said Powell rejects common sense and is completely out of touch with Nebraska values.
According to her campaign website, Powell has said her priorities are lowering costs, protecting healthcare access and abortion rights, supporting workers, and opposing President Donald Trump's «abuse of power and attacks on our democracy». The race is part of the larger fight for control of the House, where Democrats are seeking to flip the seat and Republicans are trying to defend a razor-thin majority.
