A couple that previously endorsed Graham Platner, a Senate candidate in Maine, has also shown support for Dan Osborne, an independent candidate for Senate in Nebraska, who has backing from the state’s Democratic Party. Reports indicate that a woman named Colleen, associated with Osborne’s campaign, alleged in a video that he was involved in scouting Platner. According to her, Osborne aimed to recruit “working class candidates” for the election but didn’t disclose any others. However, strategists Daniel Morav and Lian Huang reportedly assisted in both Platner and Osborne’s campaigns.
Osborne responded to the video allegations, stating, “The woman in the video is a former staff member of our campaign. Her statements are false and she is not speaking on behalf of me or our campaign.” He clarified that he has no connection with Platner and hasn’t considered the Maine Senate race, implying it’s not a priority for most Nebraskans.
Platner spoke about his encounter with the couple on a talk show, describing how they noticed him after he posted a video opposing a Norwegian salmon farm’s incursion on his bay. He mentioned they discovered his donations to Bernie Sanders and were interested in finding working-class individuals engaged in economic policy.
According to Politico, Osborne had previously told Morav and Huang a similar narrative while preparing for his campaign in 2024. As he runs again as an independent, the Nebraska Senate primary has become nuanced after Democratic candidate Cindy Burbank endorsed Osborne and expressed intentions to withdraw from the race before the primary. There’s been some uncertainty about whether her name would still appear on the general election ballot, as reported by the Nebraska Examiner, and, at the moment, her campaign remains active.
Currently, the race includes Burbank as the Democratic candidate, Osborne as the independent, and incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. Recently, Platner has been accused of misconduct by multiple women, which has led some Democratic figures to urge him to step down from the race. His campaign has not yet commented on these allegations.
