Former labor union leader and independent candidate Dan Osborn has announced his bid for a Nebraska U.S. Senate seat, challenging Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.
  • anon6789@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 days ago

    For anyone else that doesn’t know this guy, here are the significant wiki bits:

    Of the major candidates in the 2024 United States presidential election he said (before Joe Biden withdrew): “I think they’re both too old. I think they’re both incompetent. There’s a good chance I won’t vote for president.” He later said he does intend to vote for one of the two major-party candidates.

    Osborn has been registered as nonpartisan since registering to vote in 2004. Although Democrats chose not to run a candidate in the Senate election, Osborn declined their endorsement. The state Democratic Party considered running a write-in candidate, accusing Osborn of misleading them about his intentions, but Osborn said he had always been clear that he would not accept endorsements from any political party. Osborn wanted to form an independent caucus in the Senate rather than caucus with either party. He has called the current system a “two-party doom loop”. The Reform Party of the United States endorsed him in September 2024. Senate Democrats did not engage with or help Osborn’s campaign.

    Osborn’s policy positions included raising the national minimum wage; lowering the tax rate for small businesses and overtime work; increasing border security and building the Mexico–United States border wall to stop illegal immigration; reforming the immigration system and exploring ways to legalize some long-term undocumented workers; ensuring resources for law enforcement and first responders; legalizing and taxing marijuana; improving railroad safety; guaranteeing access to abortion within the limits set by Roe v. Wade and opposing a national abortion ban; facilitating union organizing; and protecting gun rights. Osborn supported a “libertarian approach” to hot-button issues and said that government should be kept out of private lives. He supported the right-to-repair of consumer goods such as cars and electronics, raising the cap on Social Security contributions for those with higher incomes and moving the full retirement age for Social Security benefits back to 65.

    Osborn supported protecting gun rights and the Second Amendment, while also supporting gun safety education in schools.

    Here’s his current platform page where you can get more stances and details.

    Doesn’t seem too bad, all considered. I’d take him over my senators (Fetterman (D) / McCormick ®) in PA.

    I like he specifically calls out fiscal support for small farms/ranches, not the conglomerates. I dislike his strong support of military/police funding and his vagueness about “border security” isn’t reassuring. But for a strongly held Republican farming state, this guy is probably the best realistic type of candidate to bring in someone different.