Tipsheet

This Nebraska Senate Candidate Is Running As an Independent. His Donors Are Anything But.

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  June 22, 2026 2:00 PM

Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn is running as an independent in his state's Senate race as he attempts to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, but his donor base tells a more complicated story. 

Osborn, a Navy and Nebraska National Guard veteran who now works as a mechanic, has centered his campaign on fighting corruption in Washington, D.C., and pushing back against billionaire influence in elections nationwide. He has also singled out George Soros, accusing him of using his wealth to shift the United States toward more progressive policies. 

However, Osborn's campaign has received significant contributions from Soros-connected groups operating through dark-money channels, spending more than $14 million on the "independent's" campaign.

And Osborn's Democratic lean is even out in the open, as Osborn is slated to give a speech next week at the Open Markets conference, titled “The Next American Revolution: Breaking Oligarchy and Making a New Democracy.” The Open Markets Think Tank is funded through Soros-linked organizations, including the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the Open Society network, and it leans firmly progressive, featuring high-profile Democratic senators such as Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, and Chris Van Hollen. 

In other words, Osborn is being cast as an "independent" alternative whose candidacy could siphon support from Republicans and act as a spoiler in this critical Nebraska race.