{"id":2469292,"date":"2025-07-31T18:13:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T22:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nebraska-democrats-back-independent-dan-osborn-for-senate\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T18:13:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T22:13:45","slug":"nebraska-democrats-back-independent-dan-osborn-for-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nebraska-democrats-back-independent-dan-osborn-for-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"Nebraska Democrats back independent Dan Osborn for Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnebraska-democrats-back-independent-dan-osborn-for-senate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2469292&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the Nebraska Democratic Party chairwoman, Jane Fleming Kleeb, has expressed support for independent candidate Dan osborn in the 2026 Nebraska Senate race, signaling a preference for him over Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.Kleeb described Osborn as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-working-class-gop-a-muddled-concept\/\" title=\"The Working-Class GOP: A Muddled Concept\">strong candidate<\/a> who could unite Democrats, Independents, and some Republicans to challenge Ricketts, highlighting Osborn&#8217;s background as a mechanic compared to Ricketts&#8217; billionaire status. Although Osborn ran as an independent and maintains that stance, he has accepted Democratic financial support and endorsements, leading Ricketts&#8217; campaign to label him as essentially a Democrat. Osborn previously lost to Sen. Deb Fischer in the 2024 election but remains a prominent contender. the Ricketts campaign plans to emphasize Osborn&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-intellectuals-who-started-out-liberal-but-ended-up-conservative\/\" title=\"4 Intellectuals Who Started Out Liberal But Ended Up Conservative\">left-leaning policies<\/a>, while Osborn aims to portray Ricketts as a symbol of wealthy influence over politics. Despite some ambiguity over osborn&#8217;s party alignment and caucus plans, Nebraska Democrats appear to back him as their best chance to win the Senate seat in 2026.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Nebraska Democrats back independent Dan Osborn for Senate<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2191374\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nebraska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Nebraska&rsquo;s<\/a> Democratic Party chairwoman backed independent Senate candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3465187\/dan-osborn-announces-nebraska-senate-campaign-pete-ricketts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Dan Osborn<\/a> on Wednesday in the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3486750\/midterm-elections-democratic-party-polling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">2026 Senate race<\/a>, signaling the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-arizona-state-rep-issues-call-to-withhold-states-electoral-college-votes-to-joe-biden-due-to-significant-evidence-of-fraud\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Arizona ... Rep Issues Call to Withhold ...&#039;s Electoral College Votes to Joe Biden Due to Significant Evidence of Fraud\">party&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s candidate preference against Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are supporting Dan Osborn,&rdquo; Chairwoman Jane Fleming Kleeb <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/janekleeb\/status\/1950659323861848550\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said on X<\/a> after being asked which Democrat was running against Osborn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3486440\/2026-texas-senate-ballots-limbo-lawmakers-weigh-bids\/\">Texas Senate ballots remain in limbo as lawmakers weigh bids<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3486810\/democrats-rebuke-trump-backed-redistricting-map-texas\/\">Democrats rebuke the Trump-backed redistricting map in Texas to cut out blue seats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3486361\/california-attorney-general-rob-bonta-legal-pathway-exists-redraw-congressional-maps\/\">California attorney general says &#8216;legal pathway&#8217; exists to redraw congressional maps<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We believe a coalition of Dems, Indys and Republicans can beat Ricketts and break up the one-party rule,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;We like the odds of a mechanic vs a billionaire.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She also reposted an Osborn <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/osbornforne\/status\/1950604381033996717\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">post on X <\/a>saying he would support Sen. Josh Hawley&rsquo;s (R-MO) bill to ban stock trading in Congress. Kleeb is a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >vice chairwoman<\/a> of the Democratic National Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Osborn is viewed as Democrats&rsquo; best shot at robbing Republicans of a Senate seat in the state. He gathered the most support for a non-Republican in a Senate race since former Sen. Ben Nelson in 2006. Osborn lost to Sen. Deb Fischer in the 2024 election, 53.19%-46.52%.<\/p>\n<p>Ricketts&rsquo;s campaign sought to connect Osborn with Democrats during his 2024 campaign, though Osborn has insisted that he is an independent populist with an affinity for unions but who dislikes illegal immigration. He has not said what party he would caucus with if he wins in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Nebraska Democrats have their Senate candidate for 2026: Dan Osborn,&rdquo; Ricketts campaign spokesman Will Coup told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Fake Dan Osborn can continue pretending to be an Independent, but he is endorsed by the Nebraska Democratic Party, funded by Democrats, and backs Democrats&rsquo; most extreme policy positions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Dan Osborn is a Democrat,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>The Ricketts campaign has sought to take Osborn more seriously than Fischer did. Dona-Gene Barton, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-look-back-on-court-packing-attempts-in-us-history\/\" title=\"A Look Back On \u2018Court Packing\u2019 Attempts in US History\">political science professor<\/a> at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, <a href=\"https:\/\/nebraskaexaminer.com\/2025\/07\/26\/team-ricketts-republicans-wont-let-dan-osborn-fly-under-radar-this-time-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said the Osborn campaign caught <\/a>Fischer &ldquo;a little flat-footed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Fischer wasn&rsquo;t really taking him seriously at the beginning of the campaign,&rdquo; Barton said. Osborn &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t have as much name recognition, so she didn&rsquo;t think that this was a serious contender.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ricketts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.klkntv.com\/sen-pete-ricketts-talks-2026-race-calls-independent-dan-osborn-a-fake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told&nbsp;ABC affiliate KLKN<\/a> that he and his campaign team&nbsp;&ldquo;are going to continue to talk about and expose how left Dan Osborn really is.&rdquo;&nbsp;Fischer did the same near the end of the 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Osborn&rsquo;s campaign is seeking to define Ricketts as a billionaire caught in the political system. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pete Ricketts is the living embodiment of everything we talk about. Billionaires own our political system,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/nebraskaexaminer.com\/2025\/07\/26\/team-ricketts-republicans-wont-let-dan-osborn-fly-under-radar-this-time-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/nebraskaexaminer.com\/2025\/07\/26\/team-ricketts-republicans-wont-let-dan-osborn-fly-under-radar-this-time-around\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Osborn campaign manager<\/a> John Dolan said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/12\/05\/democrats-dan-osborn-nebraska-senate-00192843\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Osborn took Democratic money<\/a> during the 2024 campaign cycle, though Democrats denied supporting him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;First of all, I&rsquo;ve been a registered independent from the time I could vote,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/independent-dan-osborn-launches-another-nebraska-senate-run-rcna215998\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Osborn told NBC News<\/a>. &ldquo;But second of all, I didn&rsquo;t ask for that money. This time around, I&rsquo;m not going to ask for it again. The Democrats are going to do what the Democrats do, and Republicans are going to do what the Republicans are going to do. And I just want to show the people that an independent can win in a state like Nebraska or any state, for that matter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Osborn is currently fundraising on the <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.actblue.com\/donate\/danosborn_social?refcode=launchplus&amp;recurring=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democratic platform ActBlue.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3465187\/dan-osborn-announces-nebraska-senate-campaign-pete-ricketts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">DAN OSBORN ANNOUNCES NEBRASKA SENATE CAMPAIGN AGAINST PETE RICKETTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Nebraska Democratic Party has not formally endorsed Osborn. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to ask if it would do so but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> also reached out to Osborn&rsquo;s campaign but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2191374\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2191374\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nebraska Democrats endorse independent Dan Osborn for Senate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2469293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dan-osborn-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[44305,3685,14648],"class_list":["post-2469292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dan-osborn","tag-democrats","tag-nebraska"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dan-osborn-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2469292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2469296,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469292\/revisions\/2469296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2469293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2469292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2469292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2469292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}