Fourth Osborn internal poll shows close race with Fischer

A new internal poll from independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn’s campaign shows his race with incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer is within the margin of error.

The poll, conducted by YouGov between July 31 and Aug. 12, showed Fischer with 43% and Osborn with 41% support out of 500 registered voters. The remaining 16% of those polled were undecided.

After reading a biography highlighting both candidates’ backgrounds and priorities, 53% said they would support Osborn, while 39% favored Fischer.

The result is in line with three previous polls from Osborn-affiliated groups showing both candidates within the margin of error.

An Osborn-commissioned poll from Impact and Red Wave Strategies in early July found Fischer and Osborn tied at 42% each.

However, most national election predictions show both of Nebraska’s senate seats as safe for Republicans.

The state is a darker shade of red than Texas and Florida in most Senate forecasts.

Osborn said those political forecasters haven’t been talking with him on the ground in Nebraska each day.

“I don't think they are looking too far into it,” he said. “I suppose we're just flying under the radar here.”

The lone internal poll from the Fischer campaign in July showed the incumbent with a 26% lead over Osborn in a three-way race including Kerry Eddy of the Legal Marijuana NOW Party.

Eddy had the support of 9% in Fischer’s internal poll, but she has since dropped out of the race.

A spokesperson for Fischer said her campaign will be polling again in September.

Mark Elworth Jr., who chairs the Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party, said the party’s executive board nominated Edward Williams to take Eddy’s place.

But Elworth Jr. isn’t sure whether he will file Williams to run on the party ticket in November because of legal threats from the Osborn campaign.

Elworth Jr. said Osborn affiliates have harassed voters and infiltrated his party leadership, causing him to change the party platform to block Osborn supporters.

“They just join our party just to cause chaos and havoc, and I’m really fed up with it,” he said. “I got a Dan Osborn picture on my wall, and I throw darts at it.”

Elworth Jr. said he hopes the Democrats will run a write-in candidate and that he has been in “high-level talks” with party officials.

“We're talking to the Democratic Party right now to figure out what's going on. Somebody's going to run,” he said.

Osborn said his campaign will be turning in signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office Tuesday to appear on the November ballot.