Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) survived a challenge from Dan Osborn, an independent who had the backing of the Nebraska Democratic Party, keeping the seat red as Republicans strive to maintain a majority in the upper chamber.
The Associated Press called the race for Ricketts at 3:27 a.m. Ricketts garnered 50.2% against Osborn’s 43.8%, with 87% of the vote counted.
The contest emerged as an unexpected battleground state and drew millions of dollars in outside spending and national attention after Osborn, a union leader and Navy veteran, mounted his second independent Senate campaign in two consecutive election cycles.
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Osborn came within roughly 7 points of defeating Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) in 2024, outperforming expectations in a state President Donald Trump carried by more than 20 points that year.
This time, Osborn challenged Ricketts, a former two-term Nebraska governor who was appointed to the Senate in 2023 following Republican Sen. Ben Sasse’s resignation. Ricketts won a special election in 2024 to complete Sasse’s term.
Nebraska Democrats did not field a candidate in the general election after their nominee, Cindy Burbank, withdrew, leaving Osborn as the most prominent challenger to Ricketts.
Osborn campaigned on his working-class background and opposition to corporate influence in Washington, while Ricketts emphasized his record as governor and support for Trump’s agenda.
Republicans sought to portray Osborn as a Democrat in disguise, pointing to his support from Democratic donors and organizations. Osborn maintained that he would remain independent and would not caucus with either party if elected.
Over the summer, criminal complaints were filed against Burbank and Legalize Marijuana NOW candidate Mike Mervin for falsely certifying they would serve if elected, despite having plans to forgo their bids to boost Osborn. Burbank won on appeal, while Mervin’s case was dismissed.
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The race became increasingly competitive in the final months of the campaign, prompting Republicans to pour millions of dollars into defending a seat that had initially been considered safely Republican.
Users on the prediction market Kalshi heavily favored Ricketts in the race, showing a roughly 70-30 split with Osborn, while traditional polls painted a much tighter race in the weeks leading up to the election.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
