OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The race to represent the Omaha District in Congress proved tough again Tuesday, with the rematch between Republican incumbent Don Bacon and Democratic Sen. Tony Vargas still closing just hours after the polls closed could be called early.

Two years ago, Bacon defeated Vargas with 51% of the vote in her race to represent the 2nd Congressional District, which is the most demographically and politically diverse in the state. This time, Vargas hoped to ride a wave of support for the Democratic presidential nomination, which drew a single electoral vote tied to the district.

Recent polls showed a tight race heading into the election, with both candidates portraying themselves in ads as pragmatic problem-solvers who avoid the partisan fringe of their parties.

The district also repeated its recent history of supporting Democratic presidential candidates in an otherwise solidly Republican state. In Nebraska, three of the five Electoral College votes go to the winner in each congressional district, with the other two going to the state’s overall winner. Nebraska’s 2nd District has given its vote to Democratic presidential candidates twice – to Barack Obama in 2008 and on Joe Biden in 2020and did so again on Tuesday by endorsing Kamala Harris. Former President Donald Trump received the state’s other four electoral votes.

A single electoral vote would normally attract little attention, but with polls showing the presidential race will be close this year, it took on outsized importance in candidates’ efforts to reach the 270 votes needed to win. Scenarios were drawn in which both Harris and Trump could win by a single vote from Nebraska, although that probability declined sharply as results came in from across the country.

But the oddity led Harris and Democratic groups She helped them spend millions of dollars on campaign ads and field staff in Omaha County in hopes of winning votes. Trump’s campaign and Republican groups spent far less after an attempt to persuade the Republican-dominated Legislature to do so failed Rewriting the rules of the state and convert Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.

Vargas had hoped for a boost from the Democratic presidential nomination, which also includes vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a native of Nebraska. He counted on the general support of Democratic voters, who make up more than a third of the district’s electorate. But he also aims to capitalize heavily on the nearly 30% of district voters who identify as independent supporters and third parties, and even some Republicans who are disillusioned with Trump.

To that end, Vargas’ campaign ran ads aimed at more moderate and conservative voters, including those focused on reducing illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border, cutting taxes for the middle class, and cracking down on crime.

Meanwhile, Bacon portrayed himself in ads as a bipartisan centrist to attract voters from outside the Republican base. But he tried to maintain a fine line in the swing district, often using social media to cater to his Republican base, including by using it to express his unwavering support Israel at war with Hamas and he defended his vote against a bipartisan border security bill.

In the state’s 1st District, incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Flood defeated Democratic challenger Carol Blood.

Flood was first elected to the seat in a special election in June 2022 to replace former GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned following a criminal trial in which he was accused of lying to federal agents. Flood took a harder conservative line in this campaign than in previous ones, increasing his support for Trump and accusing Democrats of creating an immigration crisis.

Blood, a state representative from Bellevue who served for Flood in the Legislature from 2020 through part of 2022, had hoped that women and other voters frustrated by Republican support for abortion restrictions and Trump would vote would change in their favor.

Republican Rep. Adrian Smith easily won a 10th term representing Nebraska’s vast rural 3rd Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger Daniel Ebers, an Overton farmer. Over the years, voters in the 3rd District have shown no signs of dissatisfaction with Smith, one of the most conservative members of Congress.

Smith’s political leanings align with those of the district. Not only is it the most conservative county in Nebraska, it is also considered one of the most conservative counties in the country. Smith has won the last three elections with about 80% of the vote.