Independent Dan Osborn submits 12,500 signatures for Nebraska Senate race

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – It looks like an independent candidate will be on the ballot to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

Dan Osborn rounded up three times the required signatures and submitted them to Nebraska’s secretary of state on Tuesday afternoon.

To qualify for the U.S. Senate ballot in Nebraska, an independent candidate must turn in 4,000 valid petition signatures, with at least 750 from each congressional district.

Osborn submitted around 12,500 signatures, with more than 2,000 from each district.

He is trying to take on Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican seeking her third term.

“Deb Fischer tried to dismiss us as a political science experiment,” Osborn said. “And to that I say, absolutely, that’s what this is.”

The independent said that he’s made 118 public appearances and that the average donation to his campaign is $35.

The Fischer campaign called Osborn’s signature count “shockingly low,” saying he’s spent more than $1 million on his campaign.

“Deb is in a historically strong position heading into the General Election,” campaign manager Derek Odon said in a press release. “We will continue building on her broad base of bipartisan support and, as she has always done each and every year, travel our state and connect directly with thousands of hardworking Nebraskans.”

Election officials will now work to verify Osborn’s signatures.

The secretary of state will announce whether Osborn’s name will be on the ballot by Sept. 13.