Osborn outraises Ricketts in first quarter of Nebraska Senate race

Registered nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn outraised incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts by roughly $200,000 in the first quarter, though Ricketts maintains a substantial advantage in overall funds raised and cash on hand.

Osborn's campaign raised $1.2 million in the first three months of the year, while Ricketts collected roughly $1 million for his campaign. To date this election cycle, Ricketts has raised $4.2 million compared to Osborn's $3.3 million. Ricketts has $1.6 million in cash on hand while Osborn has $939,146.

Ricketts, a former two-term governor, has expanded his fundraising through additional vehicles including his Ricketts Victory Committee, which brought in $895,856 this quarter, and his American Excellence PAC, which raised $190,596. Much of his backing comes from business political action committees, including $3,000 each from Walmart Inc.'s PAC and $5,000 from both Google and Microsoft corporate PACs.

Osborn's support comes primarily from unions and grassroots donors. The American Postal Workers Union Committee contributed $5,000, and his own Working Class Heroes Fund gave $2,500. His campaign received many smaller individual donations from people living in California and New York.

"We continue to see a groundswell of grassroots support for Dan," Osborn campaign manager John Dolan said in a statement. "Nebraskans are sick and tired of do-nothing politicians like Pete Ricketts and believe that the only way to fix Washington is to elect a mechanic."

Osborn, a former labor leader and Navy veteran, is attempting to improve upon his performance two years ago. In 2024, he lost to Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer by about six percentage points in a surprisingly competitive race that drew national attention. In August 2025, the Nebraska Democratic Party endorsed Osborn, though Osborn is gathering signatures to reach the general election ballot as an independent candidate.

The Osborn campaign has faced scrutiny over payments made to the candidate and his family members from campaign funds. This quarter, Osborn's campaign paid him $2,479.05 in salary and his wife Megan $15,878.97. While it is legal for candidates to pay themselves and family members for campaign work, the practice often carries political costs. Osborn has denied wrongdoing and called FEC complaints about such payments "baseless."

Ricketts said he is proud Nebraska remains the top-contributing state to his campaign. "Nebraskans know I will always put our state first," Ricketts said in a statement. "This is a campaign powered by Nebraskans, for Nebraskans."

The Republican primary is May 12, though Osborn will not appear on it. The general election is November 3. Recent polls show the race is competitive, with some showing the candidates nearly tied.