Sen. Deb Fischer wins re-election in Nebraska, beating independent Dan Osborn.
Nebraska U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer won her re-election race against independent Dan Osborn, which ended up being one of the most competitive and closely watched Senate races in the state.
This will be the Republican incumbent's third term in Congress after she was initially elected in 2012, when she became the first female senator from Nebraska to serve a full term. The Associated Press called the race for Fischer, who led Osborn by 3 percentage points with about 70% of the expected votes.
Her victory also paves the way for Republicans looking to flip Senate control. Democrats currently have a 51-49 majority and numerous news outlets including the New York Times and Associated Press reported that Fischer's victory would enable Republicans to take control of the Senate.
Osborn and Fischer were neck-and-neck in both independent and internal campaign polls in September and October, sparking an outpouring of national attention and money into the race. After leading a low profile re-election bid most of this year, Fischer kicked it into high gear, attempting to paint Osborn as a Democrat and a "too far left" candidate for Nebraska. Some of Fischer's television ads featured an endorsement from Donald Trump.
Fischer has deep roots in greater Nebraska, coming from a ranching background in Valentine, a town that hugs the state's northern boarder. Before serving in Congress, she held a string of public offices in the state, including a seats in the Nebraska Legislature and on the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education.
Osborn, a U.S. Navy and Nebraska Army National Guard veteran, emerged as a dark horse after he became a credible threat to Fischer's seat by bucking party endorsements and leaning into his independent roots and blue collar background.
Before running for Senate, Osborn worked as an industrial mechanic at Kellogg's Omaha plant, where he led a 77-day union strike in 2021 for higher wages and better benefits. The independent candidate's platform weaved between issues on both sides of the aisle, including support for the Second Amendment, protecting reproductive rights and making it easier for unions to organize.
