Pete Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate race against Dan Osborn

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts has won a full six-year term in the United States Senate representing Nebraska, defeating independent candidate Dan Osborn. The New York Post, NBC News, Bloomberg, and The Hill all reported that Ricketts defeated Osborn following a closely watched election. Osborn ran without a Democrat on the ballot, although Ricketts and his campaign branded him as Democrat Dan. [1][8][10][11]

The New York Post reported that Ricketts is 62 years old and is the son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen appointed him to the Senate in January 2023 to fill the vacancy left by Ben Sasse, who resigned after the 2022 midterms to become the president of the University of Florida. Ricketts took the Senate office one week after completing an eight-year tenure as governor of Nebraska. [1]

Osborn is a 51-year-old former labor union leader and military veteran. Wikipedia states that he served in the United States Navy and the Nebraska Army National Guard. PBS NewsHour reported during the election that national Republicans considered Nebraska key to maintaining control of Congress. [1][3][13][14]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Senate Majority Leader John Thune previously campaigned in person alongside Ricketts in Fremont, Nebraska, during the closing days of the midterm campaign. [16]