Dan Osborn, an independent running for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, is warning voters before the upcoming primaries. The Navy and Army National Guard veteran reminded voters that his name won’t be on their primary ballots because he’s an independent, but it will be on the general election ballot in November. He added, “Don’t waste your vote writing me in!”
[NOTE: Osborn will face Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, who was appointed in 2023 after Sen. Ben Sasse resigned and won a special election to hold the seat in 2024.]
Here are two things you ought to know about Nebraska’s upcoming primary:
-Because I’m an Independent, I won’t appear on your primary ballot. I’ll be on your ballot in November. Please don’t waste your vote writing me in!
-If you’re voting in the Democrat primary, please be wary… pic.twitter.com/NOSfnsmEtl
— Dan Osborn (@osbornforne) April 21, 2026
Osborn also warned those voting in the Democratic primary: “Please be wary that Ricketts has a GOP stooge planted in the race named William Forbes. Do NOT vote for Fake Forbes!” Osborn cited a CNN report exposing Forbes’s “deep deep ties to the GOP.”
Months before filing to run for Senate as a Democrat, CNN said Forbes attended a leadership training event hosted by the Nebraska Republican Party.
Our report on William Forbes, the 79-year-old pastor that Nebraska Democrats say is a GOP plant in their primary. Forbes denies it, but alleged attending a GOP training event in January. pic.twitter.com/Bruu2gpAcG
— Andrew Kaczynski (@KFILE) March 30, 2026
Forbes, who the Nebraska Examiner described as a “anti-abortion pastor” who opposes “radical feminism,” responded to Osborn’s claims by admitting that he did attend the leadership training and did vote for President Trump “in multiple elections.” But Forbes tried to retain his controversial Democratic credentials, saying, “CNN just got played like a cheap fiddle by Dan Osborn and his desperate crew … I’m a real Democrat in the mold of JFK and Ben Nelson.”
The Nebraska Democratic Party says Forbes is running “to trick voters.” Ricketts’ campaign denies any involvement in the Forbes candidacy. Nebraska’s primary election is May 12. The general election is Nov. 3.