'Democrats hope to oust this Republican senator by not running against him'

[sop]

(MS NOW) "In Tuesday’s primary elections in Nebraska, the candidate Democrats hope will unseat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts this November isn’t on the ballot. In fact, he isn’t even a Democrat."

"State Democrats think their best bet in the race is independent Dan Osborn, a veteran and mechanic who ran an unexpectedly close race against Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, losing by just 6 points in a state President Donald Trump won by roughly 20."

"In March, the Nebraska Democratic Party announced that it was making a 'deliberate, principled decision' not to field a candidate in the race in order to boost Osborn’s chances."

“ 'We believe Dan Osborn — a veteran, a mechanic, a Nebraskan, and an independent voice — represents the best opportunity to defeat Pete Ricketts and deliver real results for working families,' the party said."

Opinion article continued at link:

https://www.ms.now/news/news-analysis/nebraska-primary-dan-osborn-project-47

[msongs]

1. how can a nuisance candidate run as a dem without approval of the dem party. a repub plant is running as a dem

[ShazzieB]

4. Oeborn is not running as a Democrat.

Last edited Wed May 13, 2026, 02:56 PM - Edit history (1)

The Nebraska Democratic Party announced that it was making a 'deliberate, principled decision' not to field a candidate in the race. It sounds like they've decided to do this because they believe Osborn has a a better chance of unseating the current Republican officeholder, Pete Ricketts, than anyone the Dems might field, and that he will be a significant improvement over Ricketts.

I'm sure they know their state, its voters, and incumbent Ricketts better than most of us do, and if they would rather get out of the way so the anti-Ricketts vote doesn't get split up, that's their decision to make. Most of Nebraska is very red, meaning it's probably hard to get people to vote for a Dem. I don't know anything about Ricketts, but if he's as awful as most Republicans, Osborn could very well be a big improvement, even though he has an I after his name rather than a D.

[msongs]

5. thre is a repub running as a dem to split the vote nt

[Gaytano70]

6. He lost (Forbes, a Pricketts plant)

Cindy Burbank won the primary. I think the plan is for her to leave the ticket once the primary is over.

[ShazzieB]

14. Thanks for clearing that up!

This is a great example, imo, of why it's risky to make judgments about the politics of a state we don't live in or have at least been following closely, lol. I had no idea there really was a fake Democrat running in that primary. Just one more reason for me not to second guess the Nebraska Dems' strategy!

[Gaytano70]

15. It's super confusing, but it all stems from 2 *rump kissing magats

Pillen (governor) and P.ricketts (senator)

[ShazzieB]

16. Well, no wonder the Nebraska Dems have prioritized getting rid of Ricketts!

He sounds like a real piece of work.

[mwmisses4289]

2. An independent is someone who hasn't decided how much of a Republican jerk they want to be.

[calimary]

3. Or, it's a candidate who would say he/she is a Republican but doesn't want you to know it.

Them: Oh, er, uh, NO! I’m an independent.

Me: that’s what a Republican would say to fool somebody who doesn’t like Republicans. And you’re STILL gonna VOTE like a Republican when you think nobody can see you.

[ShazzieB]

7. Oh, is that what Bernie Sanders is? 😱

He is an independent, you know. It's easy to forget sometimes, but it's true!

My point being, I don't see any reason to assume that Osborn is really a stealth Republican. He may be running as an Independent because he's in a state that went for Trump by 20 points in 2024, and he knows a lot of people there would rather vote for a dead muskrat than a Democrat. Or maybe it's because he really is independent and wants to chart his own course the way Bernie has. Or who knows what else? The Nebraska Democrats have decided that unseating Ricketts is a high enough priority that it makes more sense for them to get out of Osborn's way rather than split up the anti-Ricketts vote and throw the election to the incumbent. Who are we to second guess them? I'm certainly not going to do that.

[mwmisses4289]

11. Bernie calls himself independent but he is very much a progressive dem,

some would say too progressive (personally, I think he is just who the dems should be listening to, along with AOC, Buttigieg, and other progressives).
I stand by my comment.

[ShazzieB]

13. Yes, he is very progressive.

That's what a lot of us love about him. But he's not a member of the Democratic Party, and that's okay. Bernie's an Independent, but he caucuses with the Democrats because they stand a for a hell of a lot more of the things he stands for than the other party does. He's been doing it for nearly 20 years now, and he's had that (I) after his name the whole time.

The point I was trying to make is there is already at least one person in the Senate wearing the Independent label who is anything but a Republican. I see no reason why "Independent" should automatically be regarded as code for "I'm really a Republican and just don't want to admit it."

When it comes to Osborn, I am in no position to judge. I don't live or vote in Nebraska, and I know nothing about Nebraska politics except that it's a mostly red stste that went for Trump by 20 points in 2024. The Nebraska Democrats, otoh, are on the scene. They know all about Osborn, they know all about the guy they want to get rid of (Ricketts), and they know how Nebraska voters think. If they've carefully thought this thing through, and it sounds like they have, I see no reason to immediately jump to the conclusion that they don't know what they're doing. I also see no reason to assume that the Democratic Party in Nebraska is led by a bunch of stealth Republicans who are conspiring to replace Ricketts with another Republican, lol.

Nebraska Democrats are saying that they've decided to back an Independent rather than running their own candidate because they feel it's the best chance they have to unseat Ricketts. I have no grounds on which to second guess them, and I'm not going to. If I lived in Nebraska, I would carefully research Osborn before voting for him, and I'm planning to do that anyway. This is an unusual move on the Democrats' part, and I'm curious to know more. I may find out something that could change my mind, but for now, I'm comfortable assuming that the Denocrats in another state know the situation there and the people involved much better than I do.

So I also stand my previous statement, at least for now.

[LymphocyteLover]

12. or someone who knows they have better chance of winning in a red state if they are Independent than Dem

[Figarosmom]

8. Hope it works out.

So many Indies are old Republicans. But then most Indies do quorum with Democrats like Angus King and Bernie Sanders.

[Omaha Steve]

9. Donate to Dan with our DU ActBlue link

Donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/duforosborn26/

[SSJVegeta]

10. "Burbank wins Dem primary but plans to drop out to boost Dan Osborn"

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/nebraska-election-takeaways-dan-osborn-ricketts-senate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.iFA.O6x4.GHwoXqqWDuJI&smid=url-share