Don Bacon | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 2nd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Brad Ashford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald John Bacon August 16, 1963 Momence, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Angie Hardison (m. 1984) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website |
| Nickname | "Bits"[1] |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1985–2014 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
Donald John Bacon (born August 16, 1963) is an American politician and retired military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 2017. Before holding public office, he was a United States Air Force officer, retiring as brigadier general with time as wing commander at Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha, Nebraska, prior to his retirement from the military in 2014. His district includes all of Omaha and the areas surrounding Offutt.
Bacon is frequently described as a moderate centrist within the Republican Party. As of 2021, he ranks 12th in bipartisanship among members of Congress according to Georgetown University's Lugar Center.
A member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which represents the most moderate of the five GOP factions in the House, Bacon was an original sponsor of the Naming Commission, which stripped the Department of Defense of names valorizing the Confederacy, and of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which established lynching as a unique hate crime, and voted to enact the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal recognition of same-sex marriage. He was one of 37 Republicans who rejected attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and one of 35 who supported the committee to investigate the January 6th attack. He has repeatedly sparred with members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.
An active voice on foreign policy in the House, Bacon is among a slate of U.S. representatives sanctioned by the Russian government, and was the first member of Congress to be hacked by the Chinese government.
- ^ Tysver, Robynn (March 15, 2015). "Citing military and foreign policy as priorities, retired Brig. Gen. Don Bacon announces bid for Congress". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
He also made it clear that he plans to put his unusual last name to political use. (In the military, his nickname was Bits.)