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On March 25th Mark met with members of BLET Div. 88 in North Platte. Mark told members about his background and that he is running because he believes in America as it was before big money and corporate media conglomerates gained so much power over our elections. A resident of Lemoyne, where roughly 30 coal trains pass each day, Mark assured members he would fight for railroad safety and oppose efforts to do away with two-person train crews.

On March 24th, Mark and Solomon attended the Democracy on Life Support demonstration in Beatrice. After the event, Mark held a town hall and took questions from community members.

On March 23rd, Mark Spoke at the Nebraska AFL-CIO convention in Lincoln. Mark told attendees that no legislation helping working Americans will pass until we take back control of our government.

In a fiery speech, Mark criticized the current administration as an affront to democracy. He told attendees he has been teaching karate a long time and is not afraid of this administration. He said that as an independent he would not be beholden to a party boss such as Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries.

Mark also criticized the Democratic party, telling those present that the ineptitude and tone-deafness of the party were some of the reasons he left the party. He said that in his travels he found many people who did not like Donald Trump but who voted for him because they wanted change and they did not trust the Democratic party to bring meaningful change.

Nothing that the temperature in Lincoln was 97 degrees in March and the recent Morrill fire, Mark said we can no longer pretend that global warming is not real.

On March 19th Mark spoke with residents in Sidney, Nebraska, and also did an interview with the Sidney Sun-Telegraph. It was fun to meet so many new people who care about nation and our state.

On March 13 the Grand Island Independent published Mark’s Op ED:

Don’t Let the Labels Distract You

Politicians use labels to keep you from asking the right questions. Rural Nebraskans deserve better.

I teach karate. One thing I teach students is how to feint — how to misdirect an opponent so they react to the wrong threat. Once you understand misdirection, you see it everywhere. Including in politics.

Turn on any cable news channel and you’ll hear the same playbook. Call your opponents “socialists” or “fascists.” Call your neighbor “woke” or “deplorable.” Frighten your audience. Then ask for donations. Both parties run this play, and both parties profit from it.

Here in Nebraska, some politicians label anyone who supports rural healthcare a “socialist,” anyone who questions tariffs that hurt our farmers a “trade radical,” and anyone who asks about the Epstein files a “conspiracy theorist.” They throw “pro-life” and “pro-choice” at each other like grenades, knowing those phrases end conversations rather than start them. Every label serves the same purpose: stop you from asking the next question.

Nothing illustrates this better than the word “conservative.”

I grew up understanding conservatism to mean something specific: limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong defense, and respect for individual freedom. States handled what states could handle. Washington stayed out of people’s lives.

Ask yourself: does that description fit what we see today? Adrian Smith — our congressman — voted to add four trillion dollars to the national debt. Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and told Gorbachev to “tear down that wall.” Today’s self-described conservatives silently watch Russia interfere with our elections, initiate cyberattacks on our businesses, and invade a democratic neighbor. Reagan would not recognize them.

The old conservatism believed Washington should leave people alone. Today’s version wants the federal government to regulate what doctors tell their patients, what books school librarians shelve, and what private decisions adults make in their own homes. That is not limited government. That is overreach.

I hold the other side to the same standard. “Progressive” politicians who spent decades promising to help working families while cashing checks from the same insurance and pharmaceutical companies they claimed to oppose owe us an honest reckoning too.

The labels attempt keep us from noticing any of this — and that is the point. Ronald Reagan once said, “You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down - [up] man's old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.”

While I did not agree with President Reagan on everything, he correctly pointed out that the real world is not tw0-dimensional.

The issues facing rural Nebraska do not fit a label. The Ogallala Aquifer does not care which party you belong to. The hospital that closed or downgraded its status in your county did not check your voter registration. The fact that Congress has not enacted a new Farm Bill since 2018 hurts Republicans and Democrats alike.

The next time a politician pins a label on your neighbor, ask yourself what they want you to stop thinking about.

On March 12th Mark and Solomon were forced to evacuate from their home in Lemoyne due to the Morrill Fire. Mark said, “I saw the flames to the north and guessed they were 7-10 miles away, but with 70 mph winds, that’s not a lot of time to get out.”

We want to thank the firefighters and other emergency responders.

On March 7th, Mark travelled to Kearney to attend the Women’s March organized by Indivisible. Prior to the March he had a chance to meet with representatives of various organizations involved with women’s issues, women’s health, and gay and trans rights. Solomon enjoyed the march, too. Mark was the only candidate in NE-03 to attend this event.

On March 3rd Mark issued a video on YouTube and social media blasting Defense Secretary Hegseth’s assertion concerning what Hegseth called the “stupid rules of engagement.”

A former Air Force JAG who also served as a military law expert for MSNBC, Mark called Hegseth’s comments “ignorant and reckless.”

Mark cited the case of his former boss, Col. Hank Fowler, who spent six years in the Hanoi Hilton and endured torture. Col. Fowler was no longer able to fly when he returned to the states, so the Air Force put him through law school. Mark pointed out that if America does not abide by the established laws of armed conflict, other nations will feel no obligation to do so.

You can view the video HERE

On February 25th Mark appeared on KNEB TV and radio in Scottsbluff, the met with area residents for a Q&A. It was one of our largest crowds yet!

You can view the video of the interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZnDtnp4m40

I am honored to share that Matt Beat (a/k/a Mr. Beat) has endorsed me. Matt is a former history and civics teacher known for his outstanding videos on American history, geography, and government. Through his channels Mr. Beat and The Beat Goes On, he has garnered more than 1 million subscribers with content like "Compared" and "Supreme Court Briefs".  

One of the issues where Matt and I share common ground is the desire to explore uncapping to the House of Representatives. Nebraska’s Third District covers eighty counties and borders six states. One representative cannot meaningfully serve 760,000 constituents — and that’s the situation every House member faces today, because Congress capped the House at 435 members in 1929 and never revisited it, even as our population tripled.

I am open to uncapping the House. More representatives means smaller districts, members who know their constituents, lower campaign costs, and less power for outside money. It makes gerrymandering harder, increases diversity in the legislature, and could bring the Electoral College closer in line with the popular will. That’s a conversation worth having.

To check out some of the educational videos that have made Matt so popular, please browse his YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@iammrbeat

On February 16th Mark met with community leaders in Gordon, Nebraska.. They said they could not recall the last time their representative had visited Gordon.

Mark then continued to Chadron and had a chance to meet about thirty area residents who are aligned with the Indivisible group in Chadron. It was wonderful to see so many people committed to the principles that America is supposed to stand for.

On February 11, 2026, Mark (and Solomon) attended a Signs of Fascism demonstration in Hastings, Nebraska. Hastings was one of the cities where Mark announced his candidacy, and it was good to see so many great people committed to the principles our Constitution is built on.

On February 5, 2026, Mark attended the BLET Division 622 Solidarity Gala in Alliance and had a chance to meet with union members and some of BLET’s national leaders. Independent senate candidate Dan Osborn also attended. Although Mark and Dan had spoken before, this was the first time the two had met in person. Dan, a Navy veteran, joked about Marks Air Force service. And Mark returned fire, poking fun at the Navy.

On February 4, 2026, Mark named Jeff Angus as his Interim Campaign Manager.

 Angus, a Buffalo County resident, is a management consultant who has worked with start-ups, large corporations, and non-profits. His political experience includes serving as a state operations manager for a third-party presidential candidate as well as management roles in various other federal and state campaigns in Nebraska and other states. He also served as a U.S. Senate legislative aide, and in that capacity worked on issues that included agriculture, small business, alternative energy, Native American affairs, antitrust matters, and science policy.

Mr. Angus is also a professional baseball writer and is the author of Management by Baseball (HarperCollins). Mark said he appreciates the “outside the box” perspective Jeff offers.

 Jeff said he agreed to serve as Mark’s Interim Campaign Manager because Mark’s status as an independent and his background as a veteran, prosecutor, agricultural lawyer, and karate instructor make him uniquely qualified to forcefully represent the people Nebraska’s third district without being beholden to either of the two major parties.

On February 4, 2026, Mark met with members of the Dawson County Action Network in Gothenburg. These people are out there walking the walking every day trying to help their neighbors. Gothenburg was one of the cities on Mark’s tour when he announced his candidacy, and it was a wonderful chance to meet again with people who genuinely care and to see friends.

On January 20, 2026, Mark spoke with members of BLET Division 388 in North Platte. Mark stands with labor in opposing proposals that would endanger railroad workers and the public such as proposals that would allow one-person crews on trains.

On January 10, 2026, Mark and Solomon hit the campaign trail and visited McCook. Mark attended an outstanding lecture by UNK professor Nathan Tye about Nebraska’s former independent Senator, George Norris. Solomon was a big hit, and we made some great new friends in McCook.

Grand Island lawyer Mark Porto has agreed to serve as our campaign’s chairperson for central Nebraska. Mark earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Nebraska, and is highly accomplished in both criminal and appellate law. We are grateful for his help. You can learn more about Mark HERE.

Today Mark was honored to be a guest on Rural Radio’s Irons in the Fire show, hosted by Nebraska Farmers Union President, John Hansen. Mark emphasized his commitment to Nebraska’s ag sector and the need to make sure rural Nebraskans have affordable healthcare.

On December 19, 2025, Mark met with Mike Gage, the new President of the AFL-CIO in Nebraska. Mark and Mike had met several times before, but not since Mike moved to Lincoln and assumed his new office. It was a great opportunity for Mark to learn more about current issues impacting Nebraska workers. Mike also got to renew his friendship with Mark’s Irish Wolfhound, Solomon.

On December 19, 2025, Mark met with John Hansen, President of the Nebraska Farmers Union, in Lincoln. John graciously provided Mark with a comprehensive briefing on the many issues confronting farmers and ranchers in Nebraska. Mark believes we must enforce existing antitrust laws and strengthen them to increase competition in the beef industry and in many other industries.

On November 14, 2025, the Coast Guard issued a new harassment policy reclassifying swastikas and nooses — long treated as hate symbols — as merely "potentially divisive." When the Washington Post broke the story on November 20, the backlash was fierce. Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday responded within hours, issuing a memo declaring that "divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited" and explicitly listing swastikas and nooses as banned. DHS called the original reporting "demonstrably false."

But on December 15, the original manual — still containing the "potentially divisive" language — went into effect anyway. The Washington Post reported on December 16 that the Coast Guard had quietly allowed this to happen despite the commandant's earlier assurances, triggering a new wave of outrage from lawmakers and veterans' advocates.

Mark, an Air Force veteran, blasted this as an insult to the hundreds of thousands of American servicemembers who gave their lives to defeat Nazi Germany. Mark said, "Nebraskans deserve a representative who won't sit silently while our government insults those who gave their lives."

Update: On December 19, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the "potentially divisive" language would be fully removed from the Coast Guard's policy, stating that the superseded pages would be taken off the record entirely.

Mark meet with Garden County residents in Lewellen on Saturday December 12th. County residents are fortunate to have access to Garden County Health Services, a non-profit that maintains a critical access hospital in Oshkosh. In the past few years at least one hospital in NE-03 has closed, as have several clinics. One reason for these closures is recent cuts to Medicaid. More cuts are coming and the problem is likely to get worse if Congress does not change course.

On December 12th Mark met with railroad workers in Alliance and listened to their concerns. Mark supports legislation that requires a minimum of two crew members on all freight trains, stricter safety regulations, and more robust paid sick leave policies. Thanks to Dave Brennan and IBEW Local 1517 for the opportunity.

Jeff Cooley, the President of the Midwest Nebraska Central Labor Council, has agreed to serve as our advisor on labor and railroad safety issues. Jeff’s experience will invaluable. On top of that, Jeff and his wife have become good friends with Solomon, Mark’s Irish Wolfhound.

Cella Quinn, former reporter for the Lincoln Journal Star and co-founder of the Nebraska ACLU, has endorsed Mark. Cella wrote, “I’ve known Mark for more than forty years. He will stand up for women and fight to protect the freedoms of all rural Nebraskans. I’ve Mark since he was in the Air Force. He will make rural Nebraskans proud.”

We are honored to announce that Jerry Kuenning, the former president of the Nebraska Cattlemen, has agreed to serve as Mark’s agricultural advisor. Jerry brings decades of valuable experience in farming and ranching. Mark looks forward to working with Jerry to give farmers and ranchers in Nebraska’s third district a real voice in Washington.

On November 21, 2025, Mark Cohen, the former Air Force JAG running for Congress as an independent in Nebraska’s third congressional district, issued a statement scolding the administration for incorrect statements about military law.  

The issue arose most recently when several Democratic lawmakers, all veterans, publicly urged servicemembers to refuse to obey illegal orders. The President responded by accusing the lawmakers of “seditious behavior punishable by DEATH!” 

Cohen, who served four years on active duty as a judge advocate at Offutt Air Force Base and as a military law expert for MSNBC, said Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice requires that servicemembers obey lawful orders. “Servicemembers,” he said, “have a right and sometimes a duty to disobey unlawful orders. Their oath is to the Constitution, not to a president. Following illegal orders was not a defense at Nuremberg, and that has not changed.”

LEMOYNE, NE — Mark Cohen announced Wednesday that he will run for the U.S. House in Nebraska’s third district as an independent. Cohen, a former Air Force Judge Advocate, lives in Lemoyne and teaches karate in Ogallala.

In a fast paced tour across Nebraska, Cohen spoke with groups in Hastings, Kearney, Gothenburg, and Gering.  

Cohen told attendees, “Nebraskans are fed up with a two-party system that forces us to choose between extremists, and they’re tired of a system that rewards politicians for speaking in sound bites. I won’t sit quietly while  those who should represent us destroy agriculture and cut rural healthcare to give tax cuts to billionaires.” 

Cohen told guests that after forming his exploratory committee several people encouraged him to run as a Democrat and a few suggested he run as a Republican. He rejected both options and explained, “With all the big money in politics only an independent can be a true voice for the people. I will represent rural Nebraskans – not party bosses or big donors.” He also said an independent would be better able to help heal what he called the “hateful divide” the two parties have created to raise money. 

At each stop Cohen told attendees the next election offers rural Nebraskans a rare opportunity to lead America by issuing a new Declaration of Independence – “Independence from a two-party system that rewards extremists, independence from big money buying elections, and independence from divisive rhetoric that pits neighbor against neighbor.”

Asked if he was concerned about the financial advantages a Republican or Democrat might have, Cohen replied, “That’s a loser’s attitude. Nebraskans are smarter than the pundits and politicians often assume. The big money won’t distract them from the realities they now face.”

Cohen first came to Nebraska in 1983 as an Air Force Judge Advocate. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for Nebraska. After leaving active duty, Cohen practiced law in Omaha for eight years, representing an agricultural lender during the farm crisis of the late 1980s. He later earned an advanced law degree (LL.M.) in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas, where he also served as an adjunct faculty member. He wrote two mysteries published by Time-Warner. He has been a Nebraska Admiral for thirty-nine years.