# Osborn submits signatures for November Senate ballot matchup with Ricketts  
**Published:** 2026-06-11T16:58:32.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/dan-osborn-submits-signatures-to-challenge-ricketts-on-nebraskas-november-ballot/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/osborn-submits-signatures-for-november-senate-ballot-matchup-with-ricketts

LINCOLN, Neb. — [Registered nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn submitted signatures Thursday to get his name on the general election ballot](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/dan-osborn-submits-signatures-to-challenge-ricketts-on-nebraskas-november-ballot/) this fall against Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, clearing a key hurdle in his second consecutive independent bid for statewide office.

Osborn gathered roughly 12,500 signatures and submitted them to the Secretary of State's office, far exceeding the 4,000 signatures required for nonpartisan candidates—with at least 750 from each of Nebraska's three congressional districts. The submission came during a press conference at the Cornhusker Hotel, where Osborn emphasized his working-class message.

"We wanted to create a coalition in the state of Nebraska that has never seen before, under one umbrella with the idea and the truth that working class people deserve a seat at the table in the United States Senate," Osborn said. [The industrial mechanic and former union leader previously ran against Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, capturing 47 percent of the vote](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/11/05/red-scare-incumbent-fischer-survives-osborn-in-nebraska-u-s-senate-race/) despite losing by about 6 percentage points in one of the closest Senate races in Nebraska history.

This time, Democrats have cleared the field for Osborn. [Democratic nominee Cindy Burbank won the primary last month and has pledged to drop out before the general election](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/burbank-wins-nebraska-dem-u-s-senate-primary-likely-giving-osborn-a-clearer-shot-against-ricketts/) to support Osborn. However, she may face a legal battle with the Secretary of State over removing her name from the ballot.

When asked about Burbank's potential withdrawal, Osborn said he has no insight into her plans. "Regardless of what she decides to do... We don't coordinate with them," he said. "We're just going to keep running our campaign as strong as we can."

Republicans quickly attacked Osborn's ballot access. A Ricketts campaign spokesperson claimed "months of backroom deals and ballot games" by Nebraska Democrats got Osborn on the ballot, and alleged he was "endorsed by the Nebraska Democratic Party and Chuck Schumer" and "bankrolled by out-of-state liberal donors like the Soros family." The campaign vowed to expose Osborn's "far-left donors and policies."

The general election is scheduled for November 3.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/dan-osborn-submits-signatures-to-challenge-ricketts-on-nebraskas-november-ballot/)
- [Nebraska Public Media - Senate candidate Dan Osborn hits campaign trail](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/es/news/news-articles/senate-candidate-dan-osborn-hits-campaign-trail-with-populist-blue-collar-message/)
- [Nebraska Examiner - Burbank wins Democratic primary](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/burbank-wins-nebraska-dem-u-s-senate-primary-likely-giving-osborn-a-clearer-shot-against-ricketts/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/dan-osborn-submits-signatures-to-challenge-ricketts-on-nebraskas-november-ballot/.