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Ricketts, Osborn set for November Senate showdown, with Democrat expected to drop bid

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by Julia Mueller - 05/12/26 9:04 PM ET

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by Julia Mueller - 05/12/26 9:04 PM ET

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Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) is set for a general election showdown against independent Dan Osborn, according to Decision Desk HQ projections.

Osborn, the independent veteran and mechanic who came surprisingly close to ousting Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in 2024, represents Democrats’ best hope of ousting Ricketts this fall in a state President Trump won by around 20 points.

The Nebraska Democratic Party announced back in March that it was making “a deliberate, principled decision not to field a candidate” in the Senate race, a maneuver intended to clear a path for Osborn.

The party, though, boosted Democrat Cindy Burbank, who is projected to win the Democratic primary on Tuesday over pastor William Forbes, who reportedly voted for Trump and said he was running to fill the Democratic field.

“William Forbes is a Ricketts plant. Don’t let the MAGA Republicans mess with our primary. Vote for Cindy Burbank,” state party chair Jane Kleeb said on the social platform X.

Burbank is expected to drop out, which lets the state party decline to replace her and leaves Osborn unchallenged on the Democratic side.

Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely Republican,” a step short of being solidly in the GOP column.

Republicans control the governor’s mansion, both Senate seats and all three House seats in Nebraska. But the state’s “blue dot” district around Omaha has sided with the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential cycles, despite the rest of the state’s red lean.

Back in 2024, Osborn lost to Fischer by 6 points while Trump won the state by double-digits.

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