CNN
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In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer will win re-election over a surprisingly strong challenge from independent Dan Osborne, CNN Projects reports.
Fisher was first elected to the Senate in 2012, becoming the first female senator to be elected to a full term in Nebraska. Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, he served in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.
Osborne, a Navy veteran and industrial mechanic, presented Fisher with a tougher challenge than he expected.
Osborne and his allies outperformed Republicans and garnered attention with high-profile ads. Some of them even burned the word “lie” onto televisions in order to cancel out enemy attack ads. Elsewhere, he called Mr. Fisher and his colleagues in the U.S. Senate “a bunch of billionaires controlled by billionaires.”
He frequently labeled Fisher a “career politician” and criticized him for backtracking on his promise to run for only two terms in the Senate. Fisher, who begins his third Senate term in January, said he changed his mind after realizing how important seniority is to members.
Fisher portrayed Osborne as a “Trojan horse” for Democrats and sought to link him to party figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former President Donald Trump also tried to tie Osborne to the left by supporting Fisher.
“Dan is and will never be a ‘Bernie Sanders Democrat’ who does not support Nebraska values,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in September.
Mr Osborne, on the other hand, portrayed himself as a populist and took policy positions that did not sit well with either political party. He said he personally opposes abortion but believes it should be legalized and described himself as a supporter of the Second Amendment. He supported reducing taxes on overtime pay, increasing benefits for military and veterans, and legalizing marijuana.
He has declined to accept Democratic endorsements, has not said which party he would caucus with if elected, and has not said who he voted for in 2020 or whether he plans to vote in 2024. There wasn’t.
The Nebraska Democratic Party at one point said it was in talks with Mr. Osborne to form a coalition, but has not endorsed a candidate or publicly endorsed Mr. Osborn.
The state also held a special Senate election to fill another seat vacated by the resignation of Republican Ben Sasse.
