U.S. Senate voter guide: Meet the candidates in the rollercoaster race

Four candidates will face off in Nebraska’s U.S. Senate race this November. It’s been a rollercoaster of a race so far even months ahead of the general election. There have been accusations of spoiler candidates, lawsuits over those spoiler candidates and candidates dropping out of the race. And as the field narrowed following the primary election, it bloomed again with the creation of new political parties.

The race’s two frontrunners, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan Osborn, were joined by Chuck Conboy of the America First Party and Robin Richards of the Nebraska Working People party. The two new parties were created this year by petition. Voters will see a fifth candidate on the ballot, Mike Marvin of the Legal Marijuana NOW party, but he has since dropped out of the race because of health issues.

Ricketts and Osborn were the only candidates from the race who participated in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair on Sept. 1. Osborn, who got on the ballot via petition, says he wants to break the two-party system, though Ricketts sees him as a Democrat in disguise.

Ricketts hopes to continue supporting tax breaks for Nebraskans, pushing the implementation of biofuels, such as E15, across the country, and ensuring safety particularly around the border. Osborn wants to fight for working people, push for campaign finance reform and bring a unique and strong voice to Capitol Hill.

Conboy is building his candidacy on making both healthcare and childcare more affordable for Nebraskans. Richards said she is in the race to give voters more options and support education and disability services.

Though Ricketts and Osborn are helping to garner national attention to the race, it’s also drawn attention for other reasons.

Cindy Burbank and William Forbes have both gone to court to get their names on the Democratic ticket in the race. Burbank was initially removed from the ballot by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who took issue with Burbank voicing her support for Osborn on her campaign website and pledging to drop out if she won the primary. Burbank filed suit in Lancaster County District Court to restore her name to the ballot and eventually won. Once Osborn gathered enough signatures to join the race in July, Burbank dropped out of the race.

Shortly thereafter, Forbes sued the Nebraska Democratic Party to take her spot, despite receiving only 10% of the vote in the primaries. But a judge ruled in favor of the party and did not force it to replace its candidate in the U.S. Senate race.

Candidates from the America First Party and the Nebraska Working People party did not join the ballot until after legal challenges were raised and settled as well.

In July, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed both parties had submitted enough signatures by the necessary deadline to join other political parties on the ballot. But the state Republican Party challenged the creation of the America First Party in court in August, calling the party’s language intentionally confusing to voters. The Nebraska Supreme Court rejected that petition.

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Democratic Party and the national Working Families Party sued to block the Nebraska Working People party from the ballot, arguing that this party also was trying to confuse voters through its name by creating a false association with Osborn. The Nebraska Supreme Court struck down this objection as well. Now, both Conboy and Richards will join Osborn and Ricketts in the race for the senate seat.

Marvin of the Legal Marijuana NOW party also dropped out, citing health reasons. He gave Osborn his support. Marvin missed the deadline to remove his name from the ballot but said he will no longer solicit votes.

Republican Sen. Ricketts seeking reelection

Ricketts served as Nebraska’s governor from 2015 to 2023. Later that year, Gov. Jim Pillen appointed him to fill a vacancy left by U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse. Ricketts won a special election for the same seat in 2024. He had previously run for the Senate seat in 2006 against then-incumbent Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson but lost in a landslide.

“It is great to continue to serve the people of Nebraska,” Ricketts said, leaning back in a conference room chair as he met with Nebraska Public Media News to discuss his latest campaign. “We've got the best place in the world. We've just got wonderful people.”

Over the last three years, Ricketts said his main goal has been bringing Nebraska ideas and values to the rest of the country. Much of that means cutting red tape and regulations that create long wait times for things like construction permits, food assistance applications or reimbursements for medical expenses for people with disabilities.

“I evangelize permitting reform and process improvement to everyone who comes into my office,” Ricketts said.

Ricketts said he has supported affordability through the Rural Workforce Housing Fund, hoping it will create more housing stock and, by extension, more affordable housing. He also advocated for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which, among many other things, cuts regulatory red tape. Ricketts said regulations alone contribute to high housing costs.

Ricketts is a staunch supporter of the Farm Bill, which offers agricultural risk coverage plans and loans, and year-round E15. This is a fuel blended with 15% ethanol that Ricketts said would increase demand for corn and lower fuel costs. He noted that the conflict in Iran has added to increased gas prices, but he maintains that the United States’ presence in the region is essential for the safety of the country.

“Every Nebraskan who goes to the pump is paying higher gasoline prices,” Ricketts said. “(But) a country that chants ‘Death to America’ cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.”

In addition to affordability, Ricketts said one of the most important functions of government is public safety, which he is a staunch supporter of. Those efforts begin, in his mind, at the Southern border of the United States.

“You can’t break the law and get away with it by coming here illegally,” Ricketts said.

Ricketts has visited that border four times, he said, twice while former President Joe Biden was in office and twice during President Donald Trump’s latest term.

“It’s a night-and-day difference,” Ricketts said.

Considering Nebraska’s need for an agricultural workforce, and that those jobs are often filled by immigrants or people with work visas, Ricketts said he does support immigration reform, including laws allowing year-round agricultural visas. But he reiterated that the immigration process should be fair for everyone and that illegal immigration should not be tolerated.

When it comes to his opponent, whom he calls “Democrat Dan,” Ricketts feels like the choice is clear. Ricketts said his opponent is all for undocumented immigrants coming into the country; supports red flag laws, or laws that allow gun confiscations from those who may harm themselves or others; and opposed the SAVE Act, which seeks to strengthen voter ID regulations.

“(On) issue after issue after issue, my opponent is on the wrong side of what most Nebraskans believe,” Ricketts said. “The only thing my opponent has done is get 500 people fired from Kellogg’s by leading an unsuccessful strike.”

Ricketts referred to a strike that Osborn led in 2021 as the head of his workers union to get better benefits and guarantee that the factory in Omaha remained open through 2026. The factory closed earlier this year.

Ricketts said he has been traveling Nebraska for more than a dozen years as a public figure.

“I talked to all sorts of Nebraskans,” Ricketts said. “I understand industries that drive our state, I know what people care about and people know where I stand on the issues.”

Through his experience as Nebraska’s governor, Ricketts said he learned a great deal about how to make things work on the state level. This serves him well as he works alongside lawmakers from other states to create programs that will work from region to region.

Ricketts has President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Osborn wants to bridge two-party divide

Osborn served in the U.S. Navy for four years and later the Nebraska Army National Guard before beginning work as an industrial mechanic at the Kellogg’s plant in Omaha in 2004. He later became the president of his union and led a strike against Kellogg’s in 2021.

In response to Rickett’s statement that Osborn got workers at the Kellogg’s plant fired, Osborn said, “that is simply not true.”

“If by people, he means me, I got fired,” Osborn said, while enjoying a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. “I did all the media work and I didn’t always have the nicest things to say about Kellogg’s. But if he’s referring to the fact that I led employees during a strike, that’s laughable to think that one person can shut a company down themselves. And it’s laughable to think that the people who show up and clock in and try to get a paycheck so they can pay their rent are the ones shutting down factories.”

Osborn said Ricketts is a rubber stamp on Trump Administration policies, but that he will work to bridge the two-party divide and vote with nonpartisanship in mind.

Osborn previously ran for senate in 2024 against U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, now serving her third term, coming within 7 percentage points, making it the closest U.S. Senate election in Nebraska since 2000. When considering his second bid at a Senate seat, Osborn said he had to run it past his family. Initially, he said they were not in favor and were concerned about the price they would pay during an election.

But Osborn’s daughter told him that she never thinks she will own a home. And that swayed him to run for the office again.

“People, especially those first starting out as a young person, they’re having a sense of financial nihilism," Osborn said. “Let’s take this seat for kids like mine, for people who know what it’s like to put Christmas on a credit card.”

Osborn hopes his time in office, should he win the election, will be marked by supporting campaign finance reform. He feels this is one of the ways politicians can weigh in on important issues, like the conflict in Iran and actions taken by Israel, without bias.

“I wish our politicians woke up every single day and ask themselves, ‘How can I help Nebraskans today?’” Osborn said. “I feel like they wake up every day like, ‘Who can I call that’s going to give me money for my victory fund so I can keep working in Washington D.C. so lobbyists can take me out for crab legs and lobster every night?’”

Both in this election and in the 2024 election, Osborn faced allegations of collecting dark money, or money from undisclosed donors, for his campaigns.

Instead of collecting money from big donors, Osborn said he will talk to workers about what they think would bring solutions to problems in their industry. He said he plans to talk to nurses who have too many patients about what the “broken” healthcare industry needs to improve. Osborn added that he has visited ranchers across the state to hear from them about how he can support the agriculture community.

“How can you trust me on issues of Iran and foreign wars if I’m taking defense contractor money,” Osborn said.

Osborn noted that he believes Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, but he criticized recent military action in the region for seemingly being executed without a plan in place or an exit strategy. One rancher he spoke with said his fertilizer costs have been skyrocketing since the conflict began. He added that only Congress can declare war, and that he would be part of Congress beginning to act like a coequal branch of government that acts as a check and balance among the executive and judicial branches.

Osborn said he also supports E15, although more of the money should go toward the corn growers rather than ethanol producers. It’s a renewable fuel, Osborn said, and one that will bring more money to Nebraskans.

Should he win the election, Osborn feels that the country will take notice.

“They’re going to say, ‘Holy Crap! How did a shop floor mechanic beat an incumbent billionaire?’” Osborn said.

Conboy will do 'Whatever Nebraskans want'

Chuck Conboy, who is running as the America First party candidate, was born in Nebraska, and after living here his whole life, he sees running for political office as his opportunity to serve his state.

“A good politician listens,” Conboy said. “I hope to bring people together. There’s too much division between people now.”

Conboy said he has been working since he was 13 years old, first in supermarkets. He rose to management with Baker’s Supermarkets and eventually transitioned into sales. For the last three decades, Conboy said he has been selling floor coverings, countertops and cabinets with Nebraska Furniture Mart and ProSource Wholesale Flooring. While he was inspired to serve Nebraskans and campaign in the state’s U.S. Senate race with the America First Party, joining the race took some convincing.

“I am not a politician,” Conboy said, shaking his head with a smile while talking with Nebraska Public Media News at a McDonalds. “I disdain politics. But one thing led to another.”

Conboy said staff with the America First Party kept calling him about the race, wanting a candidate with no political background and a fresh take on current events. Conboy added that his values aligned with the party’s. Conboy grew up an Irish Catholic and said he is very religious. His own values center around people’s rights, including the right to freedom of religion, opposition to abortion, halting government overreach and getting rid of “illegal aliens."

“They believe everything I believe,” Conboy said. “They want to deport all illegal aliens, which, I’m for that. But before we can do that… they need to give the Statue of Liberty back. It says ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your homeless,’ your criminals, everybody. But we need to shut that down.”

Conboy clarified that he believes the country’s immigration system is too slow and expensive for immigrants seeking citizenship.

Conboy said he is a working man, and his priorities, should he win the senate race, align with that identity. He plans to advocate for lower- and middle-class Nebraskans, change laws around agriculture and farming, be part of boosting the country’s economy, make both healthcare and daycare more affordable and improve education for children, including by making education free or at a reduced cost.

“Unless everyone born now and going to school receives a significant amount of education, they’re going to be in trouble,” Conboy said. “Within 10 years, AI is going to take over 20% to 40% of all the jobs that are now being done by low-level people with bachelor’s degrees. So unless we educate the people, and I mean highly educate them, they won’t have jobs. I see this as ruinous for every economy.”

Conboy also opposes the U.S.’s involvement in the conflict in Iran, arguing that that money going into that conflict should stay in the country. He argues he is not an isolationist, but very much like the name of his party, he puts America first.

“My political theory is this: what do the people want?” Conboy said. “I’ve talked to some farmers…that are just absolutely destroyed about the ethanol situation, about (the) 300,000 pounds of Argentinian beef brought up here.”

Here, Conboy references opposition to expanded access to E15 fuel, originally proposed under the Farm Bill, and tariff-free ground beef that will be allowed to be imported into the U.S. as part of the White House’s plan to supplement the nation’s beef supply.

Conboy expressed disappointment that the two primary candidates in the race engage in negative campaigns against each other. He said he believes that Ricketts is very intelligent and knows finances and the political arena well and praised Osborn for being a union leader and a good mechanic. But Conboy has no inclination to engage in political mudslinging of his own.

“I'm not here to be negative,” Conboy said. “I'm here to represent … the people of Nebraska.”

Should he win the election, Conboy said he will bring true neutrality to Washington D.C. and give politicians from both sides of the political aisle a fair chance to earn his vote. He sees his position as someone from an independent party as a powerful one, adding that his vote will be a swing vote.

“Whichever way the wind is blowing, I don’t follow that,” Conboy said. “I follow my own lead.”

Richards takes another run for office

In forming the new Nebraska Working People party, Robin Richards hopes to be part of a movement that gives Nebraska voters more options in their political candidates.

“I don’t feel like, if we stick to two parties, that we’re ever going to be able to find some middle ground to work in again,” Richards said. “The Nebraska state Legislature is built on the idea that, no matter who we are and what we believe, no (matter) what your political background is, we can come together as one body and govern. That’s what we’re missing right now in politics.”

Richards joins Nebraska’s U.S. Senate race after having unsuccessfully run a write-in campaign for state Legislative District 12 this spring and was the runner up for the seat in 2022.

But before then, she spent years as a stay-at-home mom and got her degree in English at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2015. She has sat on the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education since 2019, and much of her government experience comes from working with the Nebraska Arts Council as a business manager. In joining the senate race, she hopes to change the existing priorities of that office.

“I think the biggest place where Pete Ricketts and I differ is not that we don't understand how government works; it's our priorities in making that government work,” Richards said. “He is working for big business. He is working for (the) government to work for business and as a business. I want it to be the social services we all need. I want it to be the healthcare that should be serving us. I want it to be education that works for every student.”

Richards also plans to support child tax credits that offer families more wiggle room in their household budgets. Another priority for Richards is expanding and ensuring disability services, particularly for children and particularly in rural parts of the country. She said she was born deaf but thanks to disability services that she received when she was a child, she was able to get medical attention that she needed to restore her hearing. And she wants the same for every Nebraska child.

“Without the ability to have that screening in Butler County, I never would have gained my hearing back,” Richards said. “I am the child of two very talented musicians, and I would have never heard them sing or play the piano, and it would have changed my entire life. Rural healthcare, education, protecting disability services (are) everything.”

Social Security reserves, which are expected to be depleted as early as 2032 and force benefit cuts, have also drawn Richards’ attention. Should she win the election, Richards plans to support ensuring that social security is not taxed and still solvent for people still working today when they eventually retire. Because she’s done most of her work with nonprofits, Richards said she does not have a 401k and Social Security is something she would like to be able to rely on.

“It’s a huge problem for a lot of people,” Richards said. “Not all of us have retirement to fall back on and without those promises that the government made us years ago, that we’ve paid into, there’s no protection for us.”

Richards chairs and created the Working People party, hoping to fix a problem that independent candidates typically face when attempting to run: a lack of resources. She said the party structure gives candidates financial support and it gives the candidate access to databases necessary for door-knocking campaigns.

“We are not backed by Pete Ricketts,” Richards said with a laugh over a cup of coffee.

Here, she addressed an accusation from the Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb that the party was bankrolled by right-wing money.

Richards said her donors “partially” give from within Nebraska, but that her party is part of a national effort to bring more parties into the political playing field and some of their donations come from across the country as a result.

“Even if we don’t win, at least we tried something new,” Richards said. “And we’ll continue to try something new. We are excited to offer the voters a new choice going forward and prove to the voters that we’re here to stay.”

Important election dates and reminders

Nebraska’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Most county election offices begin sending early voting ballots in September.

Voters can cast their ballots early, in person at their respective county election office starting Monday, Oct. 5. Voting in person at county election offices will end Monday, Nov. 2. 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, Nov. 3. Voters can locate their polling place online at Nebraska’s VoterCheck system. There, voters can also verify that 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 general election. Friday, Oct. 16 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. Friday, Oct. 23 is the final day Nebraskans can update their voter registration or register to vote in person at their respective county election offices.

Read Nebraska Public Media News’ election-related coverage on our Campaign Connection page.