Dan Osborn is running against Pete Ricketts in Nebraska’s 2026 Senate race after Cindy Burbank dropped out in July. Osborn, an Independent, says he will not caucus with Democrats or Republicans, while Ricketts is seeking a full term after winning the seat in a special election.
By mid-October, Ricketts had raised $14.5 million and Osborn had raised $11 million. Osborn’s earlier campaign showed he can compete statewide: in 2024, he ran for the seat against Deb Fischer and came within 7 percentage points.
Osborn’s labor record
Osborn’s profile in Nebraska politics still rests on his years at the Kellogg's plant in Omaha, where he worked as a mechanic for nearly two decades. In 2021, he led a 77-day strike and was fired after it ended, giving him a résumé that differs sharply from the Senate incumbent he now faces.
Ricketts, meanwhile, entered the Senate in 2023 to fulfill the term of Ben Sasse. He then won the seat in a special election the next year by more than 25 percentage points, giving him a recent statewide victory to point to as the race unfolds again in 2026.
Nebraska midterm spending
The race is drawing attention because Nebraska Republicans are under pressure in a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. Millions more in outside spending have also poured into the contest, and the money gap is part of why this Senate race is being watched closely.
Osborn’s fundraising from Democratic donors adds another layer to the matchup. He says he will not caucus with either party, but Republicans argue that donor mix points to a different alignment if he wins a seat in the Senate.
Ricketts and Osborn
The next test is not a procedural one but a political one: whether Osborn can turn his independent pitch into enough support to narrow the gap with Ricketts again. For Nebraska voters, the race now offers a direct choice between a sitting Republican senator with a recent statewide win and an independent challenger who has already come close once.
