GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent Dan Osborn clash in fiery Nebraska Senate debate

Ricketts derided Osborn as a Democrat in all but name. Osborn said Ricketts isn’t representing Nebraska as they compete in a race on the fringe of the Senate battlefield.

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.

Sen. Pete Ricketts speaks at a federal issues forum at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Monday.Nikos Frazier / Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images.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 this summer, and the state Democratic Party chair said she was supporting Osborn. Osborn ran in 2024 and lost to GOP Sen. Deb Fischer by less than 7 percentage points even as Donald Trump carried the state by 20 points.