Republicans Assumed a Nebraska Senate Seat Was Safe. Then This Candidate Came Along

[Omaha Steve]

http://archive.today/h4nwT

By Michelle Goldberg

Opinion Columnist, reporting from Ashland, Neb.

Oct. 25, 2024

The first person I met at a Monday night meet-and-greet for Dan Osborn, the independent Nebraska Senate candidate, was a Donald Trump-voting Republican named Joe Hallett. He’d worked, alongside his wife, Sherri, with Osborn at Omaha’s Kellogg plant. Explaining Osborn’s appeal, Joe said, “He’s not a millionaire or anything like that.” Sherri added: “He works hard. We did the same thing.”

Neither was a fan of Osborn’s opponent, the Republican senator Deb Fischer. “We were never impressed with her because she was never personable,” said Sherri. “She was never around.”

Osborn, by contrast, has been around a lot. The Monday event, at a cider house in Ashland, a town about 30 miles from Omaha, was one of more than 170 he’s done all over the state. It drew a few dozen people — more Democrats and independents than Republicans — and Osborn stayed to talk and shake hands until the place closed. Afterward, I went with him to a nearby bar to talk about his surprisingly competitive race against Fischer, which has become an unexpected problem for Republicans as they seek to retake the Senate.

As we walked, a young opposition researcher who tracks Osborn at most of his events shouted questions about which presidential candidate he’d voted for in 2020, hoping to catch him on camera saying something damaging. Osborn refused to answer, just as he won’t say whom he’ll vote for in November, insisting that the heat of partisan politics makes substantive discussion of the issues impossible. When I asked him to name a politician in Washington he hoped to work with, he said he hadn’t given the matter much thought.


Dan Osborn, an independent who is challenging the Republican senator Deb Fischer. Credit...David Robert Elliott for The New York Times

There is no D candidate in this race. Donate to Dan here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/osborn-for-senate-1

Full story at link above. Original link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/opinion/nebraska-senate-dan-osborn.html

[truddy777]

1. Thanks for sharing the article!

I think it’s great that he’s connecting with everyday people and showing up where they are. That personal touch really matters in politics.

[tulipsandroses]

2. I've seen him a few times on MSNBC. I hope he's successful

They are so scared of him they are saying he’s a dangerous Democrat.

[Omaha Steve]

3. Kick