After more than 12k signatures, Independent Dan Osborn officially joins ballot for U.S. Senate

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — After collecting thousands of signatures, Independent candidate Dan Osborn has secured a spot on the 2026 ballot for the U.S. Senate.

At a press conference on Thursday, he described what the moment means to him and shared what’s to come.

“It’s certainly been a roller coaster of good and bad times,” said Osborn. “Politics in 2026 is very difficult, and it’s very difficult on families. So, first and foremost, I have to thank them, and certainly, our volunteers.”

The former Navy veteran and pro-union advocate also thanked his supporters on Thursday, before submitting roughly 12,500 petition signatures to the state secretary’s office.

Osborn says that if elected, he’ll prioritize working-class families, reform retirement benefits and form a coalition.

“A coalition of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents under one roof, especially at a time when our country feels so divided,” he said.

Osborn is also pushing to create a free market to combat what he calls a consolidation of power across industries from healthcare to meatpacking to youth sports.

“I’m not going to do corporate bidding when I get into office,” he said. “Corporations, obviously, they have value, they create jobs, they create R&D, but ultimately at the end of the day, they shouldn’t be able to give an unlimited amount of money to a candidate.”

However, Osborn’s opposition, current Sen. Pete Ricketts, questions Osborn’s position on some of his planned policies.

“All his positions are the ones that are for the Democrats,” said Sen. Ricketts at a press conference on Wednesday. “He would have voted to make sure that folks would be paying more, whether it was social security folks, he would have voted against the tax on tips, he would have voted against the no tax on overtime.”

The senator also brought into question Osborn’s take on guns.

“He wants to take away your gun rights,” said Ricketts.

Osborn responded by saying that some of his words on gun reform were taken out of context, and that he fully supports the right of all Americans to bear arms.