Republican Sen. Deb Fischer has won the Nebraska Senate race, defeating Independent Dan Osborn, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
With her victory, Republicans have taken control of the upper chamber of Congress.
Every election year brings with it a few surprises, and in 2024 it’s fair to say no one saw a competitive Senate race coming here.
“This race is closer than it should be,” Randall Adkins, politics professor at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, said ahead of election day.
Fischer won in 2012 and 2018 with 58% of the vote in this reliably red state. As a new member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, she helped drive millions of dollars back home last year. But like many electorally comfortable senators, Fischer led a lackluster campaign and unimpressive fundraising.
“Fischer is supposed to have the advantage,” Adkins said. But “she doesn’t come back to Nebraska and claim credit for things she did in Washington. She doesn’t really advertise herself.”
That created an opening for Osborn. His blue-collar, working class campaign highlighted his background as a mechanic and labor leader who was running as an independent to break up the two-party system in Washington.
Osborn pledged to serve truly as an independent, saying he would not caucus with either party, adding a new level of intrigue to which party would ultimately control the Senate.
Democrats, notably, put up no candidates in this race although they explicitly did not endorse Osborn either. Without a major party candidate to dilute the anti-Fischer vote, the race became more competitive.
Vice President Harris’ campaign for the White House, along with an energized campaign that could unseat a longtime Republican in Omaha has also boosted Osborn’s campaign. Also, the state boasts 270,000 non-partisan voters, which when combined with the state’s Democratic voters, is close to the total GOP registrations.
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