Dan Osborn, the Independent Senate Candidate Who Could Tip Nebraska
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 1 June 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
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Summary
As control of the Senate hangs in the balance, many eyes are on Dan Osborn, of Nebraska. He’s a dream candidate for the Democrats: a mechanic in the food-processing industry, a former president of his local union, and a veteran of the Navy and the Army National Guard. But Osborn isn’t a Democrat; he’s running as an independent. Polls show a close or tied race with the Republican incumbent, Pete Ricketts, an heir to a financial fortune. David Remnick talks with Osborn about leading a strike at a Kellogg’s plant; how Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting voters in an agricultural state; and Osborn’s decision to not caucus with either party if he wins the seat.
Further reading:
- “Can the Democrats Take Back the Senate?,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
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| 0:00.0 | If you're a fan of the political scene podcast from The New Yorker, I hope you'll join us for a special live taping of the show at 92 NY in Manhattan. |
| 0:10.3 | We'll be talking about Donald Trump's falling approval numbers, the prospects of a comeback for the Democratic Party in the midterms, and the potential threats to the election that are coming directly from the president himself. |
| 0:23.0 | I hope you can join me, Evan Osnos, and my colleagues Susan Glasser and Jane Mayer |
| 0:28.0 | on June 4th at 7 p.m. ticket information at 92NY.org. You're listening to the political scene. I'm David Remnick. |
| 0:46.9 | Early each week, we bring you a conversation from our episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour. |
| 0:53.8 | The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and the New Yorker. |
| 1:02.1 | This is The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. |
| 1:06.0 | When you look at the current makeup of Congress and the Senate in particular, Democrats have got a big |
| 1:12.3 | numbers problem. For a generation or more, they've been concentrating in big urban areas, |
| 1:18.2 | leaving more rural states trending heavily Republican. Now, we often hear the Democrats are |
| 1:23.7 | fighting to be competitive in parts of the country where they've already been counted out. |
| 1:28.6 | But that's easier said than done. With partisanship so high in the country, that means |
| 1:34.5 | winning over voters who are not just skeptical, but hostile. Right now, it's a government for the |
| 1:41.1 | 1% and the corporations, and I think we're fed up. |
| 1:47.3 | Dan Osborne of Nebraska would probably be a dream candidate for the Democrats. |
| 1:51.8 | He's a blue-collar mechanic in the food processing industry. |
| 1:55.1 | He's a union leader, an economic populist, and a veteran of the Navy and the Army National Guard. |
| 2:01.4 | But Osborne isn't a Democrat, and he doesn't want to associate with either party. |
| 2:05.9 | He's running as an independent, which is not an easy choice for him, because it makes |
| 2:10.9 | fundraising and generally running a campaign a great deal harder. |
| 2:15.8 | And yet polls are showing that Dan Osborne is running neck and neck |
| 2:19.1 | with Pete Ricketts, the Republican incumbent, in a very Republican state. The Democratic nominee |
... |
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