# Cruz rallies Ricketts in tight Nebraska Senate race  
**Published:** 2026-06-12T23:11:49.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/texas-sen-ted-cruz-campaigns-for-ricketts-in-nebraska/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/cruz-rallies-ricketts-in-tight-nebraska-senate-race

LINCOLN, Neb. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas campaigned Friday at the Country Club of Lincoln on behalf of Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, underscoring the surprisingly competitive nature of what many expected to be a safe Republican seat.

The rally, reported by the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/texas-sen-ted-cruz-campaigns-for-ricketts-in-nebraska/), drew about 300 supporters and reflected a significant shift in tone from earlier in the election cycle. Both senators emphasized the seriousness of the race as Republicans navigate a [midterm environment that typically does not favor the party in power](https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senator-pete-ricketts-chances-of-losing-to-dan-osborn-in-nebraska-11940745).

Cruz attacked Ricketts' main challenger, nonpartisan candidate Dan Osborn, calling him "dishonest" and attempting to tie him to the Democratic Party. "The Democrats are dropping millions of dollars into Nebraska. Their objective is to deceive the voters of Nebraska," Cruz said, while noting that recent polling shows the race essentially tied.

Osborn, a former union leader and steamfitter, previously ran against Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024 and came within six percentage points of winning despite Trump carrying the state by 20 points. This time, [he is running neck and neck with Ricketts in public polling](https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senator-pete-ricketts-chances-of-losing-to-dan-osborn-in-nebraska-11940745).

Democratic nominee Cindy Burbank, who won her party's primary last month, has pledged to drop out of the general election, clearing the field for Osborn. Osborn submitted the signatures necessary to appear on the November ballot earlier this week.

Ricketts touted his record, bragging about passing Trump's tax and spending bill, securing the southern border, and investing in defense. He called Osborn a "fake independent" and pointed to donations his campaign received from California and New York as evidence of Democratic support.

Osborn responded with a statement saying it was "good to finally see Pete Ricketts getting in front of Nebraskans," before calling Cruz and Ricketts "birds of a feather" representing the "agenda of the billionaire Epstein class."

Cruz, known as a conservative stalwart, sidestepped questions about potential 2028 presidential aspirations, saying he was "focused on midterms" and would campaign for candidates across the country.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/texas-sen-ted-cruz-campaigns-for-ricketts-in-nebraska/)
- [Newsweek article on the competitive nature of the Ricketts-Osborn race](https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senator-pete-ricketts-chances-of-losing-to-dan-osborn-in-nebraska-11940745)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/12/texas-sen-ted-cruz-campaigns-for-ricketts-in-nebraska/.