Dan Osborn, an independent candidate who challenged incumbent Republican Senator Deb Fischer for one of Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seats in Tuesday’s election, has garnered the most support of any independent Senate candidate in Nebraska’s history. The previous record was held by George Norris, who won his race but with a smaller vote margin and total count.
Election data from the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office shows that with all precincts reporting, Deb Fischer successfully fended off a challenge from Osborn by roughly 70,000 votes. Fischer, who has represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate since 2012, received 487,661 votes to Osborn’s 417,801 votes. No other candidate appeared on the ballot.
| Candidate Name | Party | Vote Total | Vote Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deb Fischer | Republican | 487,661 | 53.86% |
| Dan Osborn | Independent | 417,801 | 46.14% |
Osborn had initially approached Nebraska’s Democratic Party, as well as reportedly its Libertarian Party for support. However, after the state’s primary election, he announced he would decline backing from any political party or special interest group, opting to run solely as an independent. This decision left state Democrats unable to mount a challenge in time for the election. Notably, despite his refusal of party support, Osborn’s independent campaign still attracted endorsements from the national Reform Party and the Legal Marijuana Now! Party of Nebraska. Kerry Eddy, the Legal Marijuana Now! Party’s U.S. Senate nominee, eventually chose to withdraw and support Osborn due to his stance on cannabis legalization.
Although Osborn ultimately lost his bid on Tuesday, his campaign set a new record for support among independent candidates in Nebraska U.S. Senate election history. With 417,801 votes and 46.14% of the total vote, Osborn surpassed former record-holder Senator George Norris, a five-term senator who initially won election to the Senate as a Republican before launching independent campaigns in 1936 and 1942.
While Norris also won his 1936 U.S. Senate race as an independent, defeating both a Republican and Democratic congressman in a three-way contest, his margin of victory and total vote count were both smaller than those of Osborn’s campaign. Norris earned 43.82% of the vote, compared to Osborn’s 46.14%, with a total of 258,700 votes—nearly 160,000 fewer than Osborn’s total.
| Candidate Name | Party | Vote Total | Vote Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Carpenter | Democrat | 108,391 | 18.36% |
| Robert G. Simmons | Republican | 223,276 | 37.82% |
| George W. Norris | Independent | 258,700 | 43.82% |
Editorial note: The headline of this article has been edited for clarity.
Population of Nebraska was 1.3x million in the 1930s and 1.9x million now, hence the difference.
George Norris, as this article admits, won his election to the U.S. Senate as an independent in 1936, so it seems a little bit out of proportion for the headline to suggest that Dan Osborn, who lost, is somehow a record-breaker.