Dan Osborn, the independent candidate running a repeat bid for a Nebraska Senate seat, is leaning on Democrats to pad his campaign coffers in a challenge against Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE).
Osborn raised thousands of dollars in recent months from current and former Democratic lawmakers, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars through a fundraising platform used by Democratic candidates, according to federal campaign filings.
Osborn received $2,000 from the campaign of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), $2,000 from Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-MD) Democracy Summer Leadership PAC, $3,000 from former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, and $5,000 from former Montana Sen. Jon Tester’s Treasure State PAC. Osborn, a union leader and steamfitter by trade, also raked in more than $350,000 via Democrats’ ActBlue fundraising platform.
Osborn raised just under $1.1 million since launching his campaign in July and ended September with $502,000 cash on hand. Ricketts brought in roughly $1.37 million in the third quarter between his principal campaign and a separate joint fundraising account, ending with around $1.2 million in the bank.
The contributions tied to Democrats fuel further GOP accusations that Osborn is a liberal disguised as an independent, assertions that dogged the populist’s unsuccessful 2024 Senate run against Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE).
“Dan Osborn is endorsed by the Nebraska Democratic Party and funded by Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer,” Ricketts told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “Dan Osborn is a fake independent, and Nebraskans won’t be fooled by this charade.”
The Senate GOP’s campaign arm also labeled Osborn a “fake independent” and a “hand-picked candidate” of Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader from New York.
“He’s funded, backed by, and in lockstep with the radical left, and Nebraskans will reject him again in 2026,” said Nick Puglia, a regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Osborn fired back by criticizing Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs and founded brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, as an out-of-touch politician reliant on support from corporations and industries.
“I’d like to thank the banks, big tobacco, foreign lobbyists, and chemical manufacturers funding Ricketts’ campaign for not donating to mine,” Osborn said. “The only money I accept is from those who support working people and are tired of the partisanship in Washington.”
Declining to field a candidate of their own in the ruby red state, Nebraska Democrats are again supporting Osborn in his 2026 campaign. He presented a surprising challenge to Fischer last year that forced Republicans to divert last-minute resources in a state that President Donald Trump dominated by more than 20 points. Osborn ultimately lost by roughly 6.5 points.
Nonpartisan election forecasters rate the Nebraska Senate race as “solid Republican.” Still, Democrats have long-shot hopes that the Cornhusker State could present a surprising upset amid a broader effort to retake Senate control in the midterm elections.
The donations present the latest window into Osborn’s reliance on financial support from Democrats, a similar pattern that emerged in his 2024 campaign. National Democrats and affiliated groups, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the party’s campaign arm, flooded his campaign with millions of dollars in the race’s final months, as previously reported by the Washington Examiner.
ActBlue altered its rules this year to make it easier for independent candidates like Osborn to reap the digital platform’s financial benefits.
DEMOCRATS FLOODED PAC BOOSTING NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT DAN OSBORN WITH MILLIONS IN FINAL BLITZ
Independent or third-party candidates are now “considered on a case-by-case basis” to bring in contributions via ActBlue, the new company policy states. Three criteria must also be met: Whether a Democrat is in the race, whether the independent has a Democratic Party endorsement, and whether the independent “can demonstrate they align with Democratic policies and priorities.”
Osborn has an active ActBlue page. Two other declared independents, both former Democrats, are also challenging Republican senators in deep red states. Former Idaho Democratic state lawmaker Todd Achilles is running against Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), and former Democratic Senate candidate Brian Bengs is challenging Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD).
