A Democratic congressional candidate who told Americans to cope with political opposition by reading pornographic fantasy novels is now her party's pick to flip a critical House seat in Nebraska.

Denise Powell's advice isn't a gaffe — it's a window into a political class that offers degeneracy where policy should be and treats traditional Americans with open contempt. When half the country votes the wrong way, the establishment's answer isn't to engage. It's to tell you to stop watching the news and go read fairy pornography.

Powell, who won Nebraska's 2nd District Democratic primary in May, delivered the remarks in an Instagram video posted by the Women Who Run Nebraska PAC on Inauguration Day 2025. Powell co-founded the organization in 2017 after attending the Women's March in Washington.

"Today, do a little something that brings you joy. Stop watching the news. Stop following social media. Eat a little comfort food. Go out with a friend. Watch some junk TV," Powell said. "Read some fairy smut — I'm super into that right now — but just remember that we're in it for the long haul, and today is just the start of something that's going to be one hell of a ride, but we've survived it before. We'll do it again, and we're just gonna keep showing up."

So what is "fairy smut"? It's a sub-genre of "romantasy" — romance plus fantasy — featuring muscular fairy men with magic powers having explicit, sometimes animalistic sexual encounters with human women. Think wings, mind-reading, mid-air sex, and what the New York Post described as "abstract sexual encounters" and violence. The genre blew up on TikTok and is now being adapted into a Prime Video series. Powell is telling you to tune out of reality and into softcore fairy porn.

The Omaha-based 2nd District is one of just three congressional districts nationwide that Kamala Harris won while being represented by a Republican, outgoing Rep. Don Bacon. That makes it a top Democratic target in 2026. The Cook Political Report rates the contest "Lean Democrat." Powell will face Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, who has been endorsed by Trump.

Follow the money: Powell raised over $1.6 million between May 2025 and April 2026, according to FEC data. Harding raised over $1.2 million. Outside groups poured more than $6 million into Powell's primary alone, where she defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh by just 2.1 percentage points — roughly 1,400 votes. Cavanaugh warned that "dark money Republican groups" were backing Powell because they saw her as easier to beat in the general election. Political ads have already labeled her "Dark Money Denise," though Powell has called those allegations false.

Both candidates carry baggage. The Nebraska Democratic Party asked the Justice Department to investigate Harding after he missed two financial disclosure deadlines — one due in 2025 — filing over 10 months late. Harding told local media he "had nothing to hide."

The Daily Caller framed the story as straight reporting on Powell's remarks and the race. The New York Post leaned into the genre's lurid details — the muscular faeries, the mid-air sex, the animalistic mating — while emphasizing the district's importance to House control. Neither outlet pressed the real question: why does a would-be member of Congress think the appropriate response to a democratic outcome she dislikes is to stop paying attention and read pornography?

Powell's prescription — stop watching the news, tune out, escape into sexual fantasy — is the establishment's ideal citizen. Not engaged. Not informed. Not pushing back. Just consuming.

The question for Nebraska voters in November is whether they want to be represented by someone who thinks fairy smut is the cure for what ails the republic — or whether they'd prefer a representative who takes the country seriously enough to stay in the fight.