Ricketts faces multiple challengers in U.S. Senate race

In the race for U.S. Senate, Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan Osborn are garnering most of the headlines, but there are a number of other candidates seeking the seat.

Ricketts, who was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2023 after former Sen. Ben Sasse resigned, is seeking reelection for his first full six-year term.

Ricketts is endorsed by President Donald Trump, along with the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

“Sen. Pete Ricketts is a leader who understands the importance of agriculture to our state’s economy and the importance of keeping farmers and ranchers on their land. We’re supporting Sen. Ricketts because of his record of leadership and results,” Katie Olson, Nebraska Farm Bureau first vice president and NEFB-PAC chair, said in a statement.

At an agriculture roundtable hosted with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman in West Point, Ricketts reached out to rural voters, speaking on investing in rural communities through the Farm Bill, renewable fuels and the Working Families Tax Cuts.

Ricketts also continues to focus on tax relief, protecting Nebraskans from Chinese communism and border security.

Most recently, Ricketts proposed a GOP bill limiting congressional stock trading – a notable move coming from the man whose family founded TD Ameritrade before selling the company in 2020.

“No lawmaker should ever profit from insider information. Nebraskans send us to Congress to build a better country. Public service is a privilege, not a profit center,” Ricketts said in a press release.

Ricketts ran in 2006 against Democratic incumbent Sen. Ben Nelson, losing by nearly 28%. Ricketts served as governor from 2015 to 2023.

Independent candidate Dan Osborn tries again for Senate seat

Ricketts’ best-known opponent is independent candidate Dan Osborn. Previously, Osborn ran against U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, losing by six percentage points.

While Osborn is considered to be Ricketts’ main competition, he will not be on the primary ballot. The Omaha union leader and registered nonpartisan will have to gather enough signatures to be on the November ballot as an independent candidate. Those signatures are due Aug. 3.

Osborn’s platform focuses on lowering taxes for small businesses and the middle class. Another area of interest is foreign policy.

Osborn wrote in a Facebook post, “I’m sick and tired of our hard-earned tax dollars funding never-ending foreign wars that don’t seem to make us any safer. We have enough problems to fix here at home. What are we doing!!”

Osborn served in the U.S. Navy for four years before working as an industrial mechanic at the Kellogg’s plant in Omaha. He is known for his 11-week Kellogg’s strike in 2021, where he pushed for a five-year contract increasing wages.

Alleged plant removed and added back onto ballot

A notable candidate is Cindy Burbank, who was initially missing from the ballot. Secretary of State Bob Evnen took Burbank off the ballot earlier this month after the Nebraska Republican Party sent an objection letter, saying she was a “plant” to divert votes to Dan Osborn.

Burbank openly supports Osborn, but she said that if selected she will serve in the Senate.

A Lancaster County District Court Judge dismissed her case March 19. She appealed to a Nebraska Supreme Court judge who reversed Evnen’s decision Monday. She will be put on the ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Burbank isn’t the only alleged plant in the race, either.

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair and Association of State Democratic Committee President Jane Kleeb released a statement alleging that Democratic candidate William Forbes is in the race to deceive voters to sway votes in favor of Ricketts.

“The Nebraska Democratic Party made a deliberate, principled decision not to field a candidate in the U.S. Senate race,” Kleeb said. “We believe Dan Osborn – a veteran, a mechanic, a Nebraskan, and an independent voice – represents the best opportunity to defeat Pete Ricketts and deliver real results for working families.”

Alleged plants in this race don’t stop there.

Legal Marijuana NOW candidate Mike Marvin has been accused of being a plant for Osborn by former party chair Mark Elworth Jr. and Legal Marijuana NOW candidate Earl Starkey.

Marvin was the former director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees. His website doesn’t address specific issues; however, he does highlight his previous work and dedication to “fighting for the dignity of every Nebraskan worker”

Starkey, a Minitare resident, said his biggest issues focus on marijuana deregulation and abortion access.

Other candidates in the running

Osborn and Ricketts face a slew of other contenders whose areas of interest range from eradicating cancer to taking down “Big Tech.”

Running on the slogan “Together, let’s make America normal again,” Republican candidate Todd Knobel says he wants to bring common sense back to the U.S. Senate, according to his website.

Knobel grew up on a farm in Nebraska before attending Georgetown Law and London Business schools, but he says Washington D.C needs fewer advanced degrees and more common sense – which he says he got from his time on the farm.

His concerns focus on national debt and deficit, foreign policy and big tech companies’ harm on children.

Republican candidate Mac Stevens plays on the “Make America Great Again” slogan, too. “Make America Cancer Absent” is the prime focus of Stevens’ campaign, which is all about “banning harmful and cancer-causing chemicals commonly added to our diets.”

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate now works as a livestock consultant.

Other areas of interest include SNAP benefits, Social Security, Medicare and ending childhood hunger.

Debb Schultz initially filed a bid for Grand Island mayor before removing her name from the ballot in time to file for the Senate seat.

The Republican candidate has a Facebook page; however, it did not include information regarding her candidacy as of publication. Nebraska Public Media did not hear from Schultz before publication.

Eric Mortimore of Kearney is another Republican candidate in the race. He previously ran for a spot on Kearney’s City Council back in 2018.

He noted two immigration and the trucking industry being two major areas of focus for his campaign. On his Facebook, he said he better represents local Nebraskans and their true values rather than the “rich” Nebraskans values.

Important election dates

Nebraska’s 2026 primary election is Tuesday, May 12. It will narrow the field of candidates ahead of the general election, which will be Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Voting begins when county election offices start mailing early voting ballots on March 27 to Nebraskans and military members overseas. County election offices start mailing early voting ballots on April 3 to registered voters in Nebraska. Voters can cast their ballots early, in person at their respective county election office starting April 13. Voting in person at county election offices will end Monday, May 11. All early voting ballots are due back to county election offices by the close of polls on election day. Ballots received after the polls close will not be accepted.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time on election day, Tuesday, May 12. Voters can locate their polling place online at Nebraska’s VoterCheck system, as well as verify their voter registration information is up to date and preview their ballot once those are finalized by county election offices.

There are two voting registration deadlines ahead of the primary election. April 27 is the final day Nebraskans can update their voter registration information or register to vote online, by mail, at the DMV, via personal agent or via deputy registrar. May 1is the final day Nebraskans can update their voter registration or register to vote in person at their respective county election offices.

This will be the second statewide election cycle with Nebraska’s voter ID law, which requires voters to present a photo ID before casting a ballot. Voters can complete that process when they submit their requests to vote early by mail, or they can present their photo ID before they cast their ballots at county election offices or at the polls.

Voters who have questions about voting in this year’s election can contact their respective county election office by phone or email.