The first challenger to Nebraska's senior U.S. senator Deb Fischer in 2024 just threw his hat into the ring.
Independent candidate Dan Osborn announced Thursday that he plans to run for Fischer's seat, which is up for election next November. Fischer previously announced she is seeking a third term.
Osborn is an Omaha steamfitter and industrial mechanic, and also a Navy and Nebraska Army National Guard veteran, according to his campaign press release.
Osborn
In 2021, he led a strike at Kellogg’s in Omaha as president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G.
“Two years ago, I successfully led the strike to preserve 500 middle-class jobs here in Nebraska. It didn’t matter what party you belonged to. We came together to find solutions and move forward,” Osborn said in the press release.
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In order to qualify for the November 2024 ballot, Osborn’s campaign needs to collect at least 4,000 signatures from registered Nebraska voters by Sept. 1, 2024. Osborn will officially launch his campaign Oct. 5 in Omaha.
If elected, Osborn said he would make protecting small businesses, family farmers and other Nebraska workers his top priority.
“Historically, Nebraska has produced leaders who think in terms of issues, not parties; politicians with broad appeal across party lines, who could bring people together around common goals," he said. "The divisions in this country are threatening our great democratic experiment. Nebraskans are looking for a leader not a politician."
Osborn's Senate bid saw support from Jeff Cooley, president of the Midwest Nebraska Central Labor Council; Lawrence Mozena, Weeping Water City Council president; and Gary Osborn, former Dodge County commissioner and Osborn's father.
Meanwhile, Fischer has received endorsements by Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor to former President Donald Trump, along with her fellow U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, Gov. Jim Pillen, and former Nebraska Govs. Dave Heineman and Kay Orr.
Fischer's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Osborn's challenge.
