Nebraska’s Senate race has taken a bizarre turn after complaints were filed against two candidates alleging that they are not serious about serving in the position if they win the race.
Democrat Cindy Burbank and Legal Marijuana NOW nominee Mike Marvin are accused of acting as “plants” specifically to hand independent candidate Dan Osborn an opportunity to defeat GOP incumbent Pete Ricketts.
The complaints, filed with state Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office by former GOP state Sen. Lydia Brasch and a former GOP candidate Derek Schwartz, allege that both candidates have committed perjury by claiming they genuine sought to run for Senate when their actual plan was to clear the field for Osborn, the Nebraska Examiner reported.
A former state lawmaker and an unsuccessful GOP candidate sent complaints to the Nebraska AG to look into the U.S. Senate candidacies of Cindy Burbank and Mike Marvin over allegations that neither of them intends to serve
— Juan Salinas II 🎱 (@4nsmiley) May 29, 2026
My latest @NE_Examiner https://t.co/lK6RaPUFzD
The complaints invoke Nebraska’s rules and perjury statutes against people simply running to unfairly influence the outcome of an election. The two candidates allegedly made false sworn statements by signing the oath to seek and serve in the office when they actually planned to drop out of the race after winning their primaries.
The complaints cite Burbank’s campaign website, which argued that Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts” and framed her candidacy as an effort to support him. Marvin’s former party chair labeled him a “Don Osborn plant.” Burbank also allegedly paid Marvin’s $1,740 filing fee on the day of the deadline.
Back in March, Burbank defended her actions and admitted she paid for Marvin’s filing fee. “It pissed me off, and I paid for it … I’ve never met Mike. If Ricketts can throw his money around then so can I!” she said.
What a shocker (not): fresh criminal complaints just landed on Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ desk, exposing Democrat Cindy Burbank and her Legal Marijuana NOW sidekick Mike Marvin for allegedly playing the same tired game Democrats love—swearing under oath they’d “serve… https://t.co/0kt0qCBjcY
— ZeroDEIUSA (@zeroDEIUSA) May 29, 2026
Marvin has denied any wrongdoing. “Mark states that my union activities make me a good friend of Dan Osborn,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I have heard him speak a couple of times, but have never met or spoken with him. No one has hired me to do this; that is slanderous.”
Burbank’s primary opponent was William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor who ran as a Democrat. However, some have alleged that Forbes was a plant for the Republican Party due to his support for President Donald Trump and stances on abortion and other issues. The idea is that Burbank wanted to defeat Forbes to win the nomination, then drop out and back Osborn.
If the allegations are true, it means these candidates were trying to game the system to give their preferred candidate a better chance of unseating Ricketts. If prosecuted and convicted, they could spend up to seven years in prison.