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Dan Osborn doesn't see himself in Musk's America Party — but he wouldn't turn down his money

Dan Osborn doesn't see himself in Musk's America Party — but he wouldn't turn down his money

Politico08-07-2025
A Navy veteran and mechanic by trade, Osborn is aware he won't be able to duplicate the out-of-nowhere grassroots campaign he deployed last cycle, when he outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris significantly in the state.
'There is no element of surprise [this time],' Osborn told POLITICO, adding that he expects Ricketts and his allies to 'come out with a lot of money and go very negative right from the beginning.'
Ricketts was appointed to the seat following the retirement of Sen. Ben Sasse and easily won a special election in 2024 to serve the remaining two years of the term. Ricketts is the son of the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade and his family owns a majority stake in one of American sports most storied professional franchises, the Chicago Cubs, making it easy for him to inject funds into his campaign if needed.
But Osborn said he enjoys other advantages.
'We're starting off in a much better place with a tried-and-true set of volunteers across the state,' Osborn said of the name ID he gained by coming within single digits of Sen. Deb Fischer. He believes the grassroots operation he built last year coupled with a growing push of voters to upend status quo politics will help him break the GOP unanimous control of Nebraska's congressional delegation.
That Osborn came as close as he did to capturing the seat last year underscored voters' dissatisfaction with both major parties. His latest Senate bid comes as tech Musk threatens to scramble politics by launching the 'America Party.' But Osborn, who aligns with President Donald Trump on some issues, doesn't see himself as part of Musk's nascent movement.
'I'm not interested in that. I'm an independent. I've been an independent from the time I could vote,' he said.
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