Maybe it’s just me, but it’s hard not to compare Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas to former President Barack Obama. Specifically, Obama as an Illinois state Senator coming into his own as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, primed and pumped for the groundswell that would take him to the presidency. As indicated by a recent campaign ad with Vargas in a gym court, both he and the former president shoot hoops, both skewed younger when they began their tenures as state senators (Obama was around 36 years old, Vargas 32), they even sound a bit alike. At least that’s what I noted when I recently had the opportunity to chat with Senator Vargas over the phone.

Or maybe it’s just the fact that Sen. Vargas seems to be having his moment? A recent SurveyUSA poll has Vargas leading against incumbent Don Bacon by 6 percentage points in their race for Nebraska’s 2nd District. The race, already significant enough because of how the state awards its Electoral College votes, is made all the more important by the recent momentum shift following the baton handoff for the presidency to Vice President Kamala Harris. Both Trump and Harris’ campaigns seem to realize the importance of the blue dot that is Omaha, as they continue to coordinate and push efforts in the city. This is all to say that there is a lot on Sen. Vargas’ plate. We talked about everything on that plate, how being first-generation influenced his career aspirations, his ongoing efforts to protect factory workers rights, and what he thinks are the next stops for his city and the country at large.

Continue Reading Here