What is the appeal of Dan Osborn to his supporters in Nebraska’s US Senate race?

LA VISTA — Some of the people who crowded into the Astro Theater on Thursday to hear registered nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn kick off his statewide tour said that while they may not agree with everything the former union leader says, they plan to support him in November because they like his “independence.” 

Osborn’s speech hit similar notes he’s made throughout the campaign, pitching himself as being above party lines and arguing that Nebraskans have been “abandoned” by their elected officials for “corporations and special interests funding their campaigns.” 

“This campaign is not about labels or picking sides, because there’s far more that unites us,” Osborn told the crowd, which his campaign estimated was about 500 people.  

He is in a heated race against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts that has turned Nebraska politics upside down, with multiple lawsuits and new political parties emerging. The race has drawn national attention for its nontraditional political dynamics. 

Voters at the rally who spoke to the Examiner said they support Osborn either because they like him trying to find political common ground or simply because they want to see Ricketts defeated. 

“We don’t agree on everything, but he actually seems to, like, care about people and what’s good for the state,” said Whitley Red, a 37-year-old La Vista resident. 

When asked what she disagrees with Osborn about, Red, a self-described Democrat, cited his position on immigration, referring to 2024 campaign ads in which Osborn offered to help President Donald Trump build a border wall. Osborn has previously said Trump is doing a good job of securing the border.

Red added that she appreciated Osborn’s willingness to hold events in less-populated areas of the state, recalling how Osborn held an event in Verdigris because her dad requested it. 

Osborn is hoping to do better than his 7-percentage-point loss to Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024. This year’s Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, Cindy Burbank, dropped out of the race earlier this month. A lawsuit filed by another Democratic U.S. Senate candidate seeks to force the Democratic Party to replace her on the ballot. 

Legal Marijuana NOW Party’s U.S. Senate nominee Mike Marvin is still in the race. 

‘Common sense and a different perspective’

Leon Bresley, a 77-year-old Omaha resident who attended Thursday’s rally, said he is supporting Osborn because “he has common sense and a different perspective on things than the current [Trump] administration.” Bresley said he considers himself politically in “the center.”

There are currently two independent members of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, and U.S. Sen. Angus King, of Maine. Nebraska has seen a flood of nonpartisan candidates this cycle, unlike any before. Registered nonpartisan voter numbers in the state have grown in recent years, but are still outnumbered by registered Republicans and Democrats. 

Juno Kelly, 23, an Omaha resident, said he likes the national trend of independent candidates this cycle because they seek common ground that people from both political parties can agree on. 

“I think things are getting so divided that it’s nice to see a candidate that can bring everybody together, even if you know everyone doesn’t fully agree on everything they stand for,” Kelly, a self-described Democrat, said. 

Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota are seeing similar independent campaigns this cycle. 

Patti Aroneseno, a 72-year-old Papillion resident, said the overall appeal of Osborn is “to get rid of Ricketts,” although she added she likes Osborn’s enthusiasm. 

“He seems like such a hard worker and so earnest too…I think he’s going to fight for us,” said Aroneseno, a self-described Democrat. 

Ricketts, who was governor of Nebraska from 2015 to 2023 before being appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2023, is facing one of his toughest challenges yet as Osborn could prove to be a more serious candidate than Ricketts has faced in the past as an incumbent.

The Ricketts campaign and national Republicans have hit a consistent drumbeat, painting Osborn as a “secret” Democrat, citing his donations from mostly Democratic sources and an endorsement from the state Democratic Party chair. There also have been efforts to tie Osborn to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner because they hired the same political consultants. 

The Ricketts campaign said in a statement that Osborn’s leadership “has consequences,” and referenced Osborn’s time as a union leader at the Kellogg’s plant in Omaha. Osborn led Kellogg’s workers in an 11-week strike in 2021 as they pushed back against the company’s proposed new contract. The same Omaha Kellogg’s plant is closing in August, eliminating 450 jobs. 

“The only people who have ever benefited from Dan Osborn’s leadership are Dan Osborn and his family, who have pocketed over $500,000 in campaign cash,” a campaign spokesperson said. Some members of Osborn’s family are receiving payments for work on the campaign.

Osborn addressed the Kellogg’s closure during his speech Thursday, saying workers “getting paid a fair wage is not the reason that factory is closing.”

“Workers don’t shut down factories, greedy CEOs do,” Osborn told the crowd. 

All the people who talked to the Examiner at Osborn’s rally in La Vista said they voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.  

The election is Nov. 3.