Sen. Pete Ricketts talks 2026 race, calls independent Dan Osborn ‘a fake’

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Sen. Pete Ricketts spoke with Channel 8 on Wednesday about the 2026 Senate race and his new opponent.

“We are going to continue to talk about and expose how left Dan Osborn really is,” he said, reacting to his new political rival.

Ricketts is no stranger to Nebraska politics.

His first run for office was nearly 20 years ago when he ran for Senate in 2006.

He lost that bid but came back to win two terms as governor before becoming a senator.

Ricketts said he knows Nebraska well.

“One of the things I did as governor was I always traveled the state to go visit folks all across the state,” he said. “And that’s one of things I continue to do as U.S. senator.”

SEE ALSO: Osborn launches run against Ricketts, says he will give workers a ‘voice in government’

Now, in his first run for a full term in the U.S. Senate, he said he’s focused on what matters most to Nebraskan: tax relief for seniors, retirement benefits for veterans and protecting the state’s agriculture industry.

But Ricketts said he’s also concerned with international affairs.

“We got to push back on China,” he said. “They’re a big threat to our way of life. Communist China wants to replace us as a world power, and I’ve got a number of bills that will be able to do that.”

Now he’s facing a challenge from Osborn, a former labor union president and relative political newcomer who’s running as an independent.

The two candidates bring sharply different backgrounds, with Ricketts coming from the business world.

The senator isn’t holding anything back in his criticism of Osborn.

“Dan Osborn is a fake; he is absolutely Democrat,” Ricketts said.

He said 95% of Osborn’s donations in the 2024 race against Sen. Deb Fischer came from out of state.

“And he had big donations from Democrats,” Ricketts said. “Dan is not an independent; he is a Democrat.”

Ricketts said he will be campaigning hard to keep his seat.

“I plan on doing just what I have done in every election: get out there and earn it,” he said. “Getting my way around the state, talking to folks, talking about how we’ve been able to help Nebraskans, and I got a record to run on.”

Channel 8 asked both Ricketts and Osborn if they would be willing to debate in Lincoln.

Ricketts said he has no doubt that he is ready to take on Osborn and looks forward to “exposing him.”

Osborn said though he’s never been in a formal debate, he’s up for the challenge and isn’t backing down from a fight.

They agreed on one thing: They will do “anytime and anywhere.”