Burbank takes Dem Senate primary in Nebraska - but may now drop out

Cindy Burbank, a 62-year-old retired pharmacy technician, won the Democratic Senate primary on May 12 in Nebraska, setting up an unusual race for Republican incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts. 

The strange part? Burbank pledged that if she won and did not see a clear path to victory, she would drop out of the election in November and endorse Dan Osborn, a populist independent who came within 7 percentage points of winning a 2024 Senate race in the reliably Republican state.

Osborn, 51, finished with considerably better results than the 21-point thumping former Vice President Kamala Harris received from President Donald Trump in the Cornhusker State. 

Burbank won with about 90% of the vote over William Forbes, according to The Associated Press. Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor, is a registered Democrat but voted for Trump three times and attended a Republican training event earlier this year, according to a March 30 CNN report.

Nebraska Democrats decried his last-minute candidacy as an example of the GOP meddling in their primary with a scheme to siphon votes away from Osborn in the fall.

The Democratic nominee, Burbank, faced similar pushback from Nebraska Republicans. The state GOP casts Burbank's bid as an unfair and coordinated ploy by Democrats to prop up the independent Osborn.

Burbank, Osborn and Forbes did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the primary results.

Ricketts, who was endorsed by Trump and was appointed to the Senate in 2023, won the Republican nomination handedly with 80% of the vote, according to the AP.

The Nebraska Republican thanked his supporters in a statement but quickly signaled he’s preparing for a tough fight in November against Osborn. who has drawn support from outside the state.

"Our work is far from over. Out-of-state liberal donors are going to pour millions into Nebraska this fall," Ricketts said in a statement, urging people to donate to his campaign. "Send them a message: Nebraska elections won’t be bought."

Osborn, a former union president and military veteran, first caught fire among progressives during a 77-day strike at Kellogg’s cereal plant in 2021. As president of the local union in Omaha, he led the fight over pay and benefits issues, such as the loss of premium health care and reduced retirement benefits. 

The clash catapulted Osborn onto the national stage. His unique mix of political views includes support for gun rights, legalizing medical cannabis, expanding reproductive rights and making it easier for unions to organize.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said a consistent theme in several Democratic primaries this year has been pushing candidates to be more aligned with working-class voters over corporate donors.

That means building a consensus on defeating Ricketts outside the traditional Democratic primary system, which has consistently failed to produce a viable general election contender. Nebraska hasn't had a Democratic senator in almost 15 years.

"Osborn is a perfect example of someone who is a culturally aligned working-class populist who can duck some of the baggage associated with the Democratic brand that we need to work on medium and long-term, but don't have time for in the short term," Green said.

Obsborn has pledged he won't caucus with either major party and told USA TODAY that voters in his state are tired of politicians from both parties, "looking out for the corporate interests bankrolling their campaigns." Instead, he said, they want elected leaders who stick up for average working people such as farmers, ranchers and small business owners who "make this state run."

"We’re stuck in a two-party doom loop and it's all of the rest of us paying the price," he said in a statement. "I am running to disrupt the state of party politics in Nebraska because this system isn't working for any of us."