Amid the Democratic slaughter of Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, there was good news for the GOP in Nebraska, as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts defeated independent Dan Osborn, NBC News projected.
Osborn, a pipe fitter, faced a barrage of attacks calling him a secret Democrat, the news network reported, adding that Osborn said he wouldn't caucus with either party if elected, but the Nebraska Democratic Party still backed him.
'We don't need a socialist ideology.'
“Democrat Dan is too extreme, and he would be the most extreme senator we’ve ever sent to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska,” Ricketts said at a September debate, according to NBC News. “And if he were in charge of the Senate and gave it to the Democrats, that would be a disaster for Nebraska.”
More from NBC News:
“Prices are all going down. Prices are all going way down, but they really are going to plummet as soon as that war ends," Trump said at the rally, according to the news network. "It’s going to be very soon."
“And today, I’m announcing another unprecedented step to bring down costs for many years. Farm vehicles, construction equipment, and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as ‘red dye’ diesel,” Trump said, NBC News reported. “Do you know what that is? I don’t know what the hell it is, but whatever it is, it’s supposed to be very good.”
The news network noted that Osborn — a Navy veteran and former union organizer — backed Trump’s move but called it a “Band-Aid.” NBC News also noted that while Osborn frequently emphasized Nebraskans' economic struggles, he "rarely directly criticized Trump by name in a state with plenty of his supporters."
Ricketts tried to remind voters that they elected him to statewide office three times.
While Ricketts was behind Osborn in the vote tally early Tuesday, the incumbent shot past Osborn later in the night.
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Ricketts' chances may never have been too much in doubt, as The Hill on Saturday reported that Ricketts led Osborn by six points in a New York Times/Siena University poll — 49% to 43% — among likely Nebraska voters.
The Associated Press' latest vote tally Wednesday showed Ricketts leading Osborn by nearly the same margin: 50.4% to 43.7% with 91% of the votes counted.
On Wednesday morning, Ricketts in his victory speech emphasized that "we don't need a socialist ideology."
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[H/T Blaze Media]
