WASHINGTON — Former union leader Dan Osborn is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate in heavily Republican Nebraska, but he's showing unexpected strength and an upset victory could lead to a U.S. Senate seat. The veteran could be a wild card for Washington State next year.
A series of recent polls have shown Mr. Osborne well within striking distance with incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has edged Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. He holds an 18-point lead, a surprise in a state where a Democrat was last elected to the Senate in 2006. .
Democrats have stayed out of the race, setting up a one-on-one race with Osborne pledging to support both abortion rights and gun rights, to speak out against the power of corporate America, and to challenge the major political parties. The campaign has been a populist message that spans the priorities of the United States. Illegal immigration as a “pool of cheap labor.”
“I'm frustrated that both sides are agreeing to such extreme demands,” Osborn, the mechanic, said in a recently televised town hall with local station KETV. “Less than 2 percent of members of both the House and Senate are from the working class, so I can bring a unique perspective to Congress.”
Osborne, unlike long-serving independent senators Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who typically vote Democratic and are counted as Democrats for power-sharing purposes, would not be affiliated with either major party if elected. He said he had no intention of holding a caucus.
That could complicate Republicans' hopes of erasing their current 51-49 Democratic majority in the chamber.
Depending on the breadth of his overall control, it could give Osborne a crucial vote. This is similar to the role played by former Democrats and now independent Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who alternately advance or block some of Democratic President Joe Biden's policies.
“It’s closer than anyone expected.”
Nebraska is one of only two states that allocates votes using an electoral system that elects presidents by congressional district, which has led to an aggressive Democratic Party focused on liberal-leaning areas around Omaha. It is stimulating efforts to get votes.
“This Senate race is much closer than anyone expected,” said Elizabeth Theis Morse, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But he added that in deeply conservative states, “Republicans are more likely to stay in the party when the time comes.”
The last four polls on the race conducted this month, funded by the Osborne or Fisher campaigns, range from giving the incumbent a 6 percentage point lead to supporting Osborne by a similar margin.
Mr. Osborn became famous for leading the 2021 strike against Omaha cereal maker Kellogg's, and although his campaign has avoided donations from corporate PACs, major labor unions have supported his campaign through endorsements and donations. Promoting the movement.
Fischer, a Republican, is a cattle rancher who was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and has touted himself as “Trump's Choice, Nebraska's voice,” impacting veterans, law enforcement and the elderly. He is conducting election campaigns based on a series of agricultural and rural issues.
“I have a long and conservative career that helped build Nebraska and keep America strong,” Fisher said in a statement.
Osborne could face unique hurdles if elected, given that the Senate's jobs and perks are allocated by the two major political parties.
“The rise of independents, who nominally refuse to even caucus with either party, creates an exciting but confusing dynamic in the Senate,” said John Labombard, a bipartisan strategist and former Sinema aide. “Especially in a situation where the chamber is so closely divided.”
Mr. Osborn's campaign has said it is confident that Senate rules allow him to serve on at least two committees, but Mr. LaBombard said the process for obtaining those assignments is vague and that this realization is unlikely. He said that could require negotiations with one party's leadership or the approval of the other 59 senators. -Single approach.
Some Nebraskans said the state's benign politics, where more than 20% of registered voters don't endorse one of the major political parties, could help Mr. Osborn.
“In our politics, it's not just about partisan lines,” said Blue Dot, a movement aimed at increasing support for Democrats in Omaha-area districts, installing about 11,000 yards of markings featuring simple signs. Ruth Hübner Brown, co-founder of “Nebraska.'' Blue dots in the shape of states.
“I wish there were more people like him,” she said. “He represents exactly what Nebraska needs: 'I listen to both sides.' I'm in the middle.”
