Dan Osborn, the Independent Senate Candidate Who Could Tip Nebraska
5/29/202627 min
As control of the Senate hangs in the balance, many eyes are on Dan Osborn, of Nebraska. He’s a dream candidate for the Democrats: a mechanic in the food-processing industry, a former president of his local union, and a veteran of the Navy and the Army National Guard. But Osborn isn’t a Democrat; he’s running as an independent. Polls show a close or tied race with the Republican incumbent, Pete Ricketts, an heir to a financial fortune. David Remnick talks with Osborn about leading a strike at a Kellogg’s plant; how Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting voters in an agricultural state; and Osborn’s decision to not caucus with either party if he wins the seat.
Further reading:
- “Can the Democrats Take Back the Senate?,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
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David Remnick· Host0:37
This is The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. [upbeat music] When you look at the current makeup of Congress, and the Senate in particular, Democrats have got a big numbers problem. For a generation or more, they've been concentrating in big urban areas, leaving more rural states trending heavily Republican. Now, we often hear that Democrats are fighting to be competitive in parts of the country where they've already been counted out, but that's easier said than done. With partisanship so high in the country, that means winning over voters who are not just skeptical, but hostile.
Dan Osborne· Guest1:16
Right now, it's a government for the 1% and the corporations- Yeah ... and I think we're fed up.
David Remnick· Host1:22
[clapping] Dan Osborne of Nebraska would probably be a dream candidate for the Democrats.