Nebraska

NarrowingR +1.5 vs Indcloses 9:00 pm ET

47% in · Osborn +3.6

Who's running

Dan OsbornI49.0% · 47% in

Dan Osborn is a mechanic from Omaha. He served in the Navy and the Nebraska Army National Guard. He fixed machines at the Kellogg's plant and led his union there, including a big strike in 2021. He ran for Senate in 2024 as an independent and lost by less than 7 points, so he is trying again.

What they say they'll do

Ban corporate PAC money and stop members of Congress from trading stocks.
Cut taxes for working people and make big companies and the rich pay more.
Stay out of both parties and start his own independent group in the Senate.
Give Congress back the power over tariffs and protect family farms.

Pete RickettsR45.4% · 47% inIncumbent

Pete Ricketts comes from a very rich family. He helped run the family company Ameritrade, and his family owns the Chicago Cubs. He was governor of Nebraska for 8 years, from 2015 to 2023. In 2023 the new governor picked him to fill an open Senate seat, and he won a special election in 2024 to keep it. Now he is running for his first full term.

What they say they'll do

Keep the big Republican tax cut and lower taxes for families.
Lock down the southern border and back the police.
Build a strong military and support AI data centers as a matter of national security.
Help Nebraska farms and biofuels.

The tea ☕

In September 2026 a recording came out of Osborn mocking a rural Trump voter. Ricketts posted the clip. Osborn said it sounded like him, was out of character, and he would say sorry to anyone offended.
At the September State Fair debate, Ricketts called Osborn 'Democrat Dan' over and over. Osborn said Ricketts sent people to follow him to his town halls and called it disturbing.
Ricketts said 95% of Osborn's 2024 money came from out of state. Osborn said he has 71,000 small donors giving about $40 each.
When Ricketts was picked for the Senate seat in 2023, some Nebraska Republicans said it looked like two rich guys buying a seat. Ricketts had given over $100,000 to Governor Pillen's campaign and about $1.3 million to a PAC that attacked Pillen's rivals, and Pillen then appointed him.
When Ricketts was governor, the state Republican Party sent mailers saying a Republican candidate broke the law. In 2025 a jury found she was defamed and awarded her $500,000.
The Democratic nominee won her primary and then dropped out so Osborn could face Ricketts alone. The Secretary of State called it a cynical trick. The Democrat who lost to her sued to get on the ballot, and his case was thrown out in August.

Sources

Nebraska House seats: 0 D, 0 R, 3 pending