Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., went on offense against independent opponent Dan Osborn in a debate Tuesday night, repeatedly calling him “Democrat Dan” throughout their meeting and associating his campaign with democratic socialists.
The debate will be the first of many across the country over the next two months, as Democrats and Republicans battle for control of the Senate. Deep-red Nebraska is not usually home to nationally watched campaigns, but Osborn’s one-on-one contest with Ricketts could be closer than typical partisan contests in the state.
This debate, which took place at the Nebraska State Fair, may be the only clash between the two candidates with nine weeks to go until Election Day.
Osborn spent most of the debate distancing himself from both parties, but he was also careful not to completely cut ties with either side.
The Democratic nominee in the Senate race, Cindy Burbank, dropped out earlier this summer, and the state Democratic Party chair said she was supporting Osborn. Osborn previously ran in 2024 and lost to GOP Sen. Deb Fischer by less than 7 points even as Trump carried the state by by 20 points.
“I don’t need to caucus with either party,” Osborn said. “Nobody’s got a monopoly on a good idea. I will work with Republicans to get things passed, but it’s about delivering for Nebraska. That’s what I intend to do, is to work for the people of Nebraska, not a party boss.”
Ricketts drew stark differences between himself and his opponent, attacking Osborn on his support for “Medicare for all” and saying the independent would not have supported the tax cuts and other measures included in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
“Yes, I would have voted against the state that the current Big Beautiful Bill Act is in,” Osborn said. “But since we’re delving in hypotheticals, that act was passed by a tiebreaker for JD Vance. So, if I would have beaten Deb Fischer and operated as a true independent in Washington, D.C., that would have been leverage. That would have been leverage to deliver for Nebraska.”
One of the major themes throughout the debate was PAC spending in both campaigns, as well as “dark money” coming from unidentified donors. Ricketts called out his opponent several times throughout the debate on his campaign finances, saying his top fundraising sources were Washington, D.C., New York and California, and that he’d gotten funds from top Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“Democrat Dan keeps trying to insinuate that somehow I can be part of this billionaires club or whatever,” Ricketts said. “The truth is, I can’t be bought. He already has. He’s been paid for by those liberal out-of-state interests who are funding his campaign.”
After mentioning several times throughout the debate that “dark money” is a problem in the election system that needs a fix, Osborn admitted that he’s benefited from secret donors who have given to outside groups supporting his campaign.
“I don’t know who these people are, and they raise money in my name, and those are the ones that run ads,” Osborn said. “If it doesn’t say, ‘I’m Dan Osborn’ or ‘I’m Pete Ricketts, I approve this message,’ that’s dark money working.”
The debate was broken into three parts, each individually focusing on tariffs and the cost of living, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the war in Iran, and campaign financing and artificial intelligence.
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