Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent challenger Dan Osborn met Tuesday night at the Nebraska State Fair for what is expected to be their only debate ahead of November’s midterm election, with Ricketts using the appearance to press his argument that Osborn is a Democrat despite running without a party label.
Ricketts repeatedly referred to his opponent as “Democrat Dan” during the exchange, arguing that Osborn’s public claim to be an independent who won’t caucus with either party doesn’t match what Osborn has reportedly told his own donors.
“Democrat Dan says he’s going to be an independent and not caucus with anybody…he will end up caucusing with Democrats. By the way, he’s told his donors that’s what he would do,” Ricketts said.
Ricketts also accused Osborn of concealing his views to appeal to Nebraska voters, saying at the debate: “Democrat Dan is going to lie to you trying to hide his liberal beliefs. He was recruited by Democrat Socialists…Democrats fund his campaign.”
On land and environmental policy, Ricketts told the crowd that Nebraska is “97 percent privately owned” and warned that Osborn “is going to be on the side of the extreme environmentalists who are going to try and take away your land, take away your private property rights,” adding that he would not “side with our farmers and ranchers.”
Ricketts additionally pointed to Osborn’s fundraising, saying Osborn has called for campaign finance reform while accepting roughly $14 million from Soros-connected groups.
Osborn’s independent claim under scrutiny
Osborn is running without a party affiliation, but his campaign has drawn financial and organizational support tied to national Democratic infrastructure, including use of the ActBlue fundraising platform and backing from figures connected to the Democratic Party, among them Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Nebraska Democrats have largely rallied behind Osborn’s campaign as their best opportunity to unseat a Republican senator in a state former President Trump carried by double digits.
Osborn’s positions on issues including abortion, taxation, and much of President Trump’s agenda align closely with Democratic Party positions, a point Ricketts and his allies have made central to the campaign heading into the final two months before the November election.
With no additional debates currently scheduled, Tuesday’s face-off at the State Fair may be the last direct public confrontation between the two candidates before Nebraska voters decide the race.
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