The Democratic Party decided not to field a candidate in Nebraska’s Senate race this cycle. Maybe they thought the state was just so damn red that they couldn’t even beat as weak an incumbent as Deb Fischer, who had pledged to not make a career out of the Senate— and then changed her mind. In 2020, Trump won the state by a lot: 556,846 (58.2%) to 374,583 (39.2%).

So what do those 374,583 people who voted for Biden— plus the people who were disgusted by Trump’s J-6 insurrection— do now? Fortunately, a progressive independent is running… Dan Osborn, in many ways even better than the kind of neo-liberal, corporate, GOP-lite candidate Democrats often run in red states. Roll your eyes all you want about Nebraska but FOUR polls now show Osborn either ahead or neck-and-neck with Fischer!

Dan’s premise is that Nebraskans “are ready for change, fed up with Washington. Both parties– Democrats and Republicans– are full of too many people that have been bought and paid for by corporations and billionaires. The Republicans don’t look out for blue-collar working people like me, and too many Democrats in DC don’t seem to understand rural America anymore.”

Osborn isn’t rich or from some political dynasty. “I’ve got no business running for the U.S. Senate,” he said— “and that’s exactly why I am. I am a proud card-carrying steamfitter and mechanic. I was president of my local union before I got fired for leading a strike that saved 500 middle-class jobs in Nebraska. I served in the United States Navy and joined the National Guard to help pay for college before I had to drop out so I could keep food on the table for my family. There’s nobody like me in the Senate.”

Osborn is the first Senate candidate Blue America ever endorsed who isn’t a Democrat. We’re helping him raise funds to stay competitive with Fischer here.

There are two opposing constitutional amendments on the ballot in November, one giving women the right to Choice and one prohibiting abortions after the first trimester. Fischer supports the ban. Osborn supports the right for women to make their own decision. For many people that’s enough information to support Osborn. I met him almost year ago and the guy has a compelling back story that I asked him to share.

Please take a look and if you’d like to see him in the Senate instead of another knee-jerk corporate hack, consider contributing whatever you feel comfortable with.

Dan, in his own words:

"In October 2021, I had been an employee of Kellogg’s for almost 18 years.

"I had dropped out of college and gone to work for the company after my wife got pregnant. Life’s easy when all you gotta do is take care of yourself— but we had diapers to buy and needed health insurance for our growing family.

"When I applied in 2004, there were 6 positions and 600 applications. Working at Kellogg’s promised to be a lifelong career. A good-paying job that afforded me the opportunity to become a homeowner, let my wife stay home with the kids, live decently, retire some day, and hopefully live happily ever after.

"But over the years, wages became a two-tier system. New workers were being paid less than employees had made decades earlier. Cost of living adjustments weren’t keeping up anywhere near inflation. Retirement and health insurance plans had been gutted. It just wasn’t right. They were making record profits— and doing it off the backs of workers.

"So in October 2021, we walked out. And as president of our local union, I led the strike.

"It was the first time many of us had ever walked a picket line. It was cold, but we were determined to hold our lines even through the dead of the winter if we had to. Every worker knew we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. We were in a fight for the future of the American middle class.

"After 11 weeks, and the company threatening to permanently replace every union worker, we reached an agreement. More importantly, we saved 500 good-paying jobs here in Nebraska alone.

"It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

"Following the strike, I was fired. The company has its version of events for why, but I believe it was because I was union president. Someone had to pay— and my head was on the chopping block.

"It’s easy to let yourself get beaten down by life. To let big corporations and the politicians they own in Washington make all the decisions— and just accept that that’s how things will always be. But that’s not me.

"Instead, I’ve decided to run against one of the most corporate politicians— U.S. Senator Republican Deb Fischer... I am ready to take on Republican Deb Fischer just like I took on Kellogg’s.

"The U.S. Senate is a country club. It’s full of millionaires, formers business execs, lawyers with Ivy League degrees, and trust fund kids born with so many silver spoons in their mouths that they have no idea the reality for working-class people like me.

If I defeat Deb Fischer in November, I will be the poorest member of the U.S. Senate. I don’t come from my money, and I’m not rich. I’m a steamfitter and mechanic who works 50 and 60 hour weeks to give my kids a better life.

"I will be the only senator without a college degree. After my wife and I found out we were expecting a baby, I had to drop out and kill my dream of hanging a diploma on the wall because my family needed health insurance, diapers, and food on the table.

"I will be the only senator who is a blue-collar, card-carrying, union member… There is no one who represents working-class people like me in the U.S. Senate. I’m ready to be the 51st vote in the Senate to take on the billionaires and corporations, fight for working-class people, and expand workers’ rights… I believe we can protect our democracy, stop these ridiculous abortion bans, and put an end to the corruption in Washington.

If Dan wins, he won’t be beholden to Schumer or to whatever Republican replaces McConnell, just to the voters who sent him to Washington.

And Nebraska has a long populist tradition— the most immigrants per capita of any state and the only state whose electric utilities are publicly-owned! Nebraska voters approved Medicaid expansion and raised the minimum wage in ballot initiatives. And many historians count George Norris as one of the top 5 greatest U.S. senators ever— a progressive Republican who served for 3 decades, 1913 through 1943— and backed FDR’s programs more strongly than many Democrats did!

Like I said, the first time Blue America ever endorsed a Senate candidate not running as a Democrat… other than Bernie. Please consider kicking in a contribution to Dan’s campaign here.