Dan Osborn

Independent candidate Dan Osborn has shaken up the political scene in Nebraska, where he is running to unseat a Republican senator. His candidacy is a major surprise of the late election season. Major political rating sites have upgraded the race from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.

A four-year Navy veteran, steamfitter, industrial mechanic, and union leader, Osborn grew up in a blue-collar family. His mother was a seamstress, and his father worked loading cargo for Union Pacific Railroad.

Osborn began work as an industrial mechanic in the Omaha Kellogg’s plant in 2004. He eventually became president of his union, BCTGM 50G. He led the successful 77-day Kellogg’s strike in Omaha in 2021, defeating efforts to slash benefits and guaranteeing the factory remain open through 2026.

Osborn and his wife, Megan,live in Omaha and have three children.

Osborn is confident. "I hate to call it like I'm trying to call a Nebraska football game, but I would say I'm gonna win pretty substantially. People are ready for a change. People are sick of the status quo," Osborn told ABC News in an interview.

Osborn supports:
* Cutting tax rates of small businesses and the middle class
* Blocking private equity firms from taking over healthcare firms when such a takeover would put those being served at risk
* Leveling the playing field for family-owned farms and ranches
* Limiting government interference in reproductive rights