Republican Sen. Deb Fischer will win reelection in Nebraska, defeating an unexpectedly strong challenge from independent Dan Osborn, CNN projects.
Fischer was first elected to the Senate in 2012, when she became the first female senator elected to a full term in Nebraska. Prior to being elected to Congress, she served in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.
Osborn, a Navy veteran and industrial mechanic, gave a tougher-than-expected challenge to Fischer.
Osborn and his allies outspent Republicans and garnered attention with buzzy ads, including one in which he burned the word “LIE” into a TV to knock attack ads from his opponent. In another spot, he called Fischer and her colleagues in the US Senate “a bunch of millionaires controlled by billionaires.”
He frequently labeled Fischer a “career politician” and criticized her for backtracking on her promise to run for only two Senate terms. Fischer, who will begin her third Senate term in January, said she changed her mind after realizing how important seniority is for members of Congress.
Fischer portrayed Osborn as a “Trojan horse” for Democrats and sought to tie him to party figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former President Donald Trump also sought to tie Osborn to the left in his endorsement of Fischer.
“Dan is a ‘Bernie Sanders Democrat’ who does not stand for Nebraska Values, and never will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on September.
Osborn, meanwhile, painted himself as a populist and took policy positions that didn’t fit neatly into either party. He said he personally opposes abortion but thinks it should be legal and called himself a supporter of the Second Amendment. He backed lowering taxes on overtime pay, boosting benefits for servicemembers and veterans, and legalizing cannabis.
He declined support from the Democratic Party and refused to say which party he would caucus with if elected or to share who he voted for in 2020 or planned to vote for in 2024.
Nebraska Democrats, who said at one point they were in talks with Osborn to form a coalition, did not field a candidate or publicly back Osborn.
The state also held a special Senate election to fill the other seat left vacant by Republican Ben Sasse’s resignation.
