The race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska took center stage at the State Fair on Tuesday, as incumbent Pete Ricketts faced independent challenger Dan Osborn. The event marked the first state fair debate in the race since 2018. Incumbent Senator Deb Fischer and former Governor Ricketts had previously debated there, and Ricketts had also debated Bob Krist for the governorship at the fairgrounds.
A heated exchange over party lines
The atmosphere was tense, with both candidates trading attacks for over a year. Ricketts has consistently tried to paint Osborn as a “secret Democrat,” while Osborn, a former labor leader, pitches himself as a working-class populist above the partisan divide. The same rhetoric continued at Tuesday’s debate, with Ricketts referring to Osborn as “Democrat Dan” so many times that Osborn joked there should be a “third podium” for him.
Osborn in turn doubled down on his promise not to caucus with either party if elected, and said he would push for campaign reforms that encouraged candidates to run on principles, rather than party lines. “We just have to take off these red and blue jerseys and come back together as Americans,” Osborn said. Ricketts rebutted that Osborn’s refusal to caucus was “foolishness,” because “that’s not how the system works.”
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Osborn is hoping to improve on his 7-percentage-point loss to Deb Fischer in 2024. Ricketts, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023 before being appointed to the Senate in 2023, faces one of his toughest challenges yet. Osborn could prove to be a more serious candidate than Ricketts has faced in the past as an incumbent.
Tariffs, beef prices, and the border
Both candidates referenced rising prices on groceries and gasoline, though they disagreed on the causes and solutions. Ricketts defended the widespread tariffs imposed under the Trump administration, saying they help level the playing field between the U.S. and other nations. He stated his desire to continue utilizing tariffs to protect Nebraska agriculture.
Osborn agreed that tariffs can be helpful but argued that the “blanket” tariffs under Trump raise prices for Americans and function as an added tax. He wants to return tariff power to Congress and close loopholes that offer major corporations tax breaks, policies he argued Ricketts routinely supports. Ricketts pushed back on this, touting his support for the Working Families Tax Cut Act, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which he said prevented a $2,400 tax increase on Nebraskans.
The candidates also differed on President Donald Trump’s 90-day tariff waiver for up to 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef. Osborn called it a “colossal mistake,” particularly for Nebraska ranchers, some of whom have cut their herds in half to cope amid the drought. Ricketts said he told Trump that “short-term solutions” aren’t good for ranchers. He said expanding the size of U.S. cattle herds is the real solution to lower beef prices.
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Ricketts noted he has the endorsement of the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Osborn has the backing of the Nebraska Farmers Union. On the border, Osborn said he agreed with the basic mission of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — to keep communities safe — and felt former President Joe Biden had failed on border concerns. However, he argued the increased ICE budget was “wasteful spending.” He said he would support policies that increase training and promote accountability, such as requiring body cameras for ICE officers.
Osborn said, “We should never get used to troops in our streets.” Ricketts accused Osborn of lying about his thoughts on border policy, claiming he would support giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. He claimed he has footage of Osborn comparing U.S. law enforcement to Nazi Germany and calling officers “chickensh–.” Osborn denied this, saying he didn’t know what Ricketts was talking about. He further accused Ricketts of sending people to follow him around at his town halls, calling it “disturbing.”
Dark money and foreign policy
Both candidates accused the other of benefiting from “dark money,” referring to large political donations made by anonymous contributors. Osborn said the Ricketts family was part of a group of notable names funding dark money initiatives, along with Elon Musk and George Soros. He noted Ricketts has contributed to his own campaign. If elected, Osborn said he would work to reduce the influence of dark money in elections.
Ricketts in turn accused Osborn of benefiting from dark money, noting that during his 2024 campaign against Fischer, 95% of Osborn’s contributions came from out of state. Osborn responded that his current campaign has roughly 71,000 individual donors, from which the average contribution is about $40. Osborn acknowledged there are some political advertisements funded by dark money that support his campaign, but said he doesn’t stand by the ads that don’t include that he approved the message.
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Ricketts acknowledged he has contributed to his own campaign, but said it is because he believes in Nebraska and that is where his roots are. He repeated his argument that Osborn was trying to sell voters on a message developed by liberal donors. “The truth is, I can’t be bought,” Ricketts said. “He already has.”
Both candidates agreed that Iran shouldn’t have a nuclear weapon because that would be a threat to U.S. national security. They also acknowledged that the war puts financial pressure on Nebraska families. Ricketts supported continuing to put pressure on Iran through measures like sanctions. He reiterated his belief that Osborn would side with Democrats on ideas he argued would undermine Trump’s authority.
Osborn noted Trump made a promise during his 2024 campaign not to enter the U.S. into any new foreign wars. He argued the power to declare war should remain with Congress and supported deterrent measures like maintaining a military presence in areas like the Persian Gulf.