Unbiased Dan Osborn launched one other run for the Senate in Nebraska on Tuesday after having waged a surprisingly aggressive, although finally unsuccessful, marketing campaign final yr.
And Osborn mentioned the most important distinction between final yr and subsequent yr can be his Republican opponent.
“All the pieces that I speak about, I believe Pete Ricketts embodies,” Osborn mentioned in an interview, referring to the Republican senator and former governor who’s working for his first full Senate time period subsequent yr after he gained a particular election final yr.
“Billionaires shouldn’t have the ability to purchase their method into Senate seats, initially,” Osborn mentioned. “However it’s this race to the underside that individuals like me are experiencing, as a result of it’s — every little thing is so costly, and it’s simply extraordinarily tough to get forward in life.”
Republicans have already signaled that they plan to deploy the identical playbook they used towards Osborn final yr, casting him as a Democrat masquerading as an unbiased. Osborn went on to lose to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by 7 proportion factors.
“Regardless of his greatest efforts, Nebraskans came upon that Osborn was a Democrat in disguise, funded by out-of-state Democrats like Chuck Schumer,” Fischer wrote in an X put up in April, which Ricketts reshared, after Osborn mentioned this yr that he was exploring one other Senate run. Republicans wish to shield the occasion’s 53-47 majority within the Senate subsequent yr.
Osborn had been weighing runs for the Senate, the Home or governor and launched a political motion committee to assist working-class candidates.
Osborn acquired some monetary assist from Democrats throughout his 2024 bid, because the occasion didn’t subject a candidate towards Fischer. The Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Schumer, of New York, the Senate Democratic chief, donated to a brilliant PAC that boosted Osborn, although outdoors teams can’t coordinate with campaigns. Osborn additionally had the backing of some outstanding Democratic donors, like Tom Steyer, when he raised greater than $15 million in his marketing campaign. And he lately shared a fundraising hyperlink for ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform.
However Osborn has nonetheless maintained independence from the Democratic Get together, and he mentioned he wouldn’t caucus with both occasion if have been elected.
“Initially, I’ve been a registered unbiased from the time I may vote,” Osborn mentioned. “However second of all, I didn’t ask for that cash. This time round, I’m not going to ask for it once more. The Democrats are going to do what the Democrats do, and Republicans are going to do what the Republicans are going to do. And I simply need to present the folks that an unbiased can win in a state like Nebraska or any state, for that matter.”
Osborn instructed The New York Occasions final yr that he was a Democrat till 2016, however he lately mentioned he “misspoke” throughout that interview.
“I used to be telling the reporter that I grew up in a conservative family, and I’ve voted for Democrats, and I’ve voted for Republicans,” Osborn mentioned. “I are likely to vote based mostly off of ideas, first, earlier than occasion. And someplace in that dialog, that received skewed somewhat bit. I don’t bear in mind the context of the yr 2016 and why that was related within the dialog.”
KETV of Omaha reported that Osborn has been registered as a “nonpartisan” since 2004, and state information additionally present a “Daniel L. Osborn” registered as nonpartisan.
“Fiscally, I’d, I’d fall according to extra of a standard conservative,” Osborn mentioned. “Typically I believe a small authorities could be a higher authorities. However in terms of social points and lifting up folks in want, I’d lean left that method.”
Osborn mentioned he doesn’t plan to hunt the state Democratic Get together’s endorsement. Final yr, Nebraska Democratic Get together Chairwoman Jane Kleeb accused Osborn of “going again on his phrase” by finally saying he didn’t need the occasion’s endorsement after having quietly sought it for months. Osborn mentioned that he had hoped for each the Democratic Get together’s and the Libertarian Get together’s assist however that he determined to forgo the endorsements after they couldn’t be made on the identical time.
“I used to be looking for the endorsement of all people,” he mentioned.
Republicans’ efforts to color him as a Democrat underscore the fragile balancing act Osborn faces as he runs in a state Donald Trump carried by 20 factors final yr.
Osborn mentioned he didn’t vote for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in November, as an alternative writing in United Auto Staff President Shawn Fain for president. Osborn, a former union organizer, described Fain as “considered one of my private heroes.”
Throughout his Senate run final yr, Osborn’s marketing campaign launched a TV advert saying he was with Trump “on China, the border and draining the swamp.” Osborn mentioned he nonetheless aligns with Trump on border safety, saying former President Joe Biden “did fail on the border.”
Osborn had combined views of Trump’s commerce insurance policies, saying tariffs “undoubtedly have their time and place” however including that they must be “calculated and focused.”
“Blanket tariffs, particularly with our neighbors Canada and Mexico, doesn’t make any sense to me,” Osborn mentioned. “I believe that each one that’s going to do is enhance costs for the shoppers and make life costlier at a time the place it’s too rattling costly already.”
Osborn was hesitant to immediately criticize Trump by title, however he did say he would have voted towards Trump’s sweeping tax and spending invoice, pointing to cuts in social applications and tax cuts that will profit the rich.
“It is going to reduce companies for folks. They’re going to have to chop via a lot pink tape to proceed to have their special-needs children or regardless of the case they’re on these applications for,” he mentioned. “And people like Ricketts are going to proceed to make tens of millions extra off of those cuts. I simply don’t see how all people didn’t have an issue with that.”
