Aaron Sanderford
LINCOLN — Nebraska’s two U.S. Senate races are drawing millions of dollars from national donors, and most of that money is flowing to Republican incumbents.
The regularly scheduled Senate race this year is the most financially competitive — the one between U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., nonpartisan Dan Osborn and Legal Marijuana Now Party nominee Kerry Eddy.
Fischer raised $679,000 from April 1 to June 30 and has the largest campaign war chest, listing nearly $3 million in cash on hand, according to federal campaign finance reports.
Nebraska U.S. Senate fundraising, second quarter
Pete Ricketts
Pre-primary $108,474
July quarterly $787,147
Cash on hand $1,708,516
Preston Love Jr.
Pre-primary $10,876
July quarterly $36,439
Cash on hand $6,542
***
Deb Fischer
Pre-primary $109,968
July quarterly $569,018
Cash on hand $2,996,473
Dan Osborn
Pre-primary $201,973
July quarterly $833,471
Cash on hand $649,719
Kerry Eddy
Pre-primary $16,384
July quarterly $1,381
Cash on hand $7,786
Source: Federal Election Commission
Osborn outraised her in the second quarter, before and after the May primary, collecting $1.04 million, reports show. His campaign listed having $650,000 in cash on hand.
Eddy raised $17,765 over the same span and listed $7,800 in cash on hand. Her campaign has been dogged for months by allegations that she might leave the race and back Osborn.
Fischer leads in cash
Fischer thanked her supporters for putting her campaign “in our strongest position yet for re-election.” Like most incumbents, she drew much of her support from people with business in D.C.
As expected, Fischer drew significant support from agricultural interests across Nebraska. She and her family have operated a ranch near Valentine for years, one that her sons run now.
Fischer, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also received significant support from defense contractors.
“We have worked hard to visit multiple times with Nebraskans in all 93 counties, secure County Campaign Chairs in each county, invest in a robust door knocking and field effort, and earn endorsements,” Fischer said in a statement.
Nebraska Democrats ran no candidate in Fischer’s race.
Osborn had strong quarter
Like many running for federal office, Osborn, who sought the endorsement of Nebraska Democrats before backing away, collected much of his funding from California, New York and Massachusetts.
Nebraska also ranked among Osborn’s highest fundraising states. Many political observers questioned whether he could maintain funding support for a nonpartisan bid without an endorsement from a major party.
Osborn, a union leader from Omaha, is known for leading a 2021 strike against Kellogg’s. He has stepped away from his job as a steamfitter and is paying himself to run via the campaign.
The last non-Republican Senate candidate to raise more than $1 million in a quarter was Bob Kerrey in 2012. He raised $1.7 million in his race against Fischer, who beat him 58%-42%.
“Unlike Deb Fischer, I’m not taking corporate PAC money from Pfizer, Boeing, Facebook and JBS,” Osborn said in a statement. “No one’s going to own me when I get to Washington.”
Ricketts raises like former governor
The funding gap is wider in Nebraska’s second Senate race, which was required when former Sen. Ben Sasse resigned. U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor, was appointed to the seat in early 2023. He is being challenged by Omaha civil rights activist Preston Love Jr., a Democrat. The winner will serve the final two years of Sasse’s six-year term.
Voter registration in Nebraska, as of July 1
Republicans: 607,333
Democrats: 329,797
Nonpartisans: 272,329
Libertarians: 17,996
Legal Marijuana NOW: 7,014
Other: 183
Total: 1,234,652
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs and founded the company that became TD Ameritrade, raised $896,000 in the second quarter. He was the company’s chief financial officer.
The Ricketts campaign listed $1.71 million in cash on hand, plus another $556,000 raised by the Pete Ricketts Victory Fund, which helps his campaign. It listed $129,000 in cash on hand.
Ricketts has continued to garner support from many of the state’s top GOP supporters, as well as national donors, including some PACs supporting business groups.
He also received the support of AIPAC, a group that backs the defense of Israel. He has helped bankroll statewide petition initiative campaigns supporting abortion restrictions and school choice.
“I’m honored to continue earning the support of Nebraskans,” Ricketts said in a statement. “This successful fundraising quarter has us well situated to get our message out and continue working hard to earn every vote.”
Love seeking David moment vs. Goliath
Love raised $47,000 in the second quarter and listed $6,500 in cash on hand. Love’s campaign touted its donations from small donors, “real people” who the campaign said are excited for a choice in the race. He ran for Senate as a write-in candidate in 2020.
“We are up against a candidate with a wealthy family and even wealthier connections,” said Sarah Brune, a Love campaign spokeswoman. “Our campaign is putting people over politics, and voters are noticing. It will take an all-hands-on-deck effort to defeat our ultra-rich opponent.”
Local political observers have questioned whether either race is winnable for candidates outside the majority party in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2-to-1.
One aim of Osborn’s campaign is a proof of concept for the idea that the Democratic Party label turns off more potential voters than it attracts in Nebraska and other red states.
Some have argued that the nonpartisan slice of Nebraska’s electorate includes a sizable portion of disaffected Democrats and former Republicans open to voting against Republicans.