Republican Pete Ricketts has won a full six-year term in the U.S. Senate, defeating independent candidate Dan Osborn in Nebraska. Ricketts, who was appointed to the Senate in January 2023, secured the victory in a state reliably favoring the GOP.
Osborn, a union leader and former Kellogg's strike organizer, ran as an independent but faced criticism from Ricketts and his allies, who labeled him "Democrat Dan." Osborn had previously made an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 2024 against another Republican incumbent. Ricketts and his campaign highlighted Osborn's past comments, including leaked audio where he appeared to mock President Trump's supporters.
During the campaign, Osborn sought to portray Ricketts as out of touch, dubbing him "Private Equity Pete" and linking him to economic struggles amid rising energy prices and inflation. Ricketts's campaign, with support from former President Donald Trump, emphasized Ricketts's focus on economic benefits for Nebraska, including tax breaks.
Trump held a rally in Grand Island in early October to support Ricketts, characterizing Osborn as a "fake independent" who would align with Senate Democrats. Osborn had entered politics following a 2021 strike at a Kellogg's plant in Omaha and was often grouped with other "prairie populist" candidates running challenges in the Midwest.
Ricketts, 62, previously served eight years as Nebraska's governor before being appointed to the Senate to fill the vacancy left by Ben Sasse, who resigned to become president of the University of Florida.