Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate seat, holding off independent Osborn

Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts won reelection in Nebraska, CBS News and NBC News projected, defeating independent Dan Osborn ¹². Ricketts, 62, is a former Nebraska governor who was appointed to the Senate in 2023 ¹. Osborn, 51, is a former union leader and Navy veteran making his second Senate bid ¹².

The race proved more competitive than expected in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2024 ². Ricketts won a 2024 special election by 25 percentage points, while Osborn lost his 2024 race against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by seven points ¹². This year, the Democratic nominee ended her campaign in July, leaving Osborn one-on-one with Ricketts ².

On tapeKMTV 3 News Now · Nov 4

▶0:47

Ricketts attacked Osborn as a secret Democrat. "Democrat Dan is too extreme, and he would be the most extreme senator we've ever sent to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska," Ricketts said at a September debate ². Osborn stressed he would not caucus with either party if elected, but he had the backing of the Nebraska Democratic Party ².

Osborn focused on costs. "I've gone around the state, and I've talked to thousands of Nebraskans and hardworking people — teachers, truck drivers, nurses, lunch ladies, you name it," he said at the debate ². "Costs are getting too expensive. Healthcare is getting too expensive. Groceries are too expensive, and families are falling behind" ².

From Channel GOPNavy veteran Osborn: no plan in IranDan Osborn · 138 plays · captioned, with the source named

The race was shaped by Trump's sinking approval ratings, voter frustration with high costs and the war with Iran, and high diesel prices that hit farmers ². At an October rally in Nebraska, Trump signed an executive order expanding access to "red dye" diesel used in farming ². "Prices are all going down. Prices are all going way down, but they really are going to plummet as soon as that war ends," Trump said ².

Ricketts' victory wards off an outcome that could have subtracted from the Democrats' majority, and retaining the seat is a relief to the GOP ¹. Nebraskans haven't elected a candidate who wasn't a Republican since 2006 ¹. That matters because retaining the seat avoids further subtraction from the GOP's Senate numbers after a series of Democratic victories in states Trump won handily in 2024 ¹.

On tapeKETV NewsWatch 7 · Nov 4

▶3:46

Osborn stressed during the campaign that he would not caucus with either party if elected ². Ricketts will serve a full six-year term after completing the final two years of former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse's term ².

The Record

1. Jan 1, 2023Pete Ricketts was appointed to the Senate in 2023 after serving as Nebraska governor ¹.
2. Jan 1, 2024Ricketts won a special election to serve the final two years of GOP former Sen. Ben Sasse's term by 25 percentage points ².
3. Jul 1, 2026The Democratic nominee ended her campaign in July, leaving Osborn one-on-one with Ricketts ².
4. Nov 4, 2026CBS News and NBC News projected Ricketts defeated Osborn in the Nebraska Senate race ¹².

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate seat, holding off independent Osborn</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ricketts-wins-nebraska-senate-seat-holding-off-independent-osborn">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts won reelection in Nebraska, CBS News and NBC News projected, defeating independent Dan Osborn . Ricketts, 62, is a former Nebraska governor who was appointed to the Senate in 2023 . Osborn, 51, is a former union leader and Navy veteran making his second Senate bid .</p> <p>The race proved more competitive than expected in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2024 . Ricketts won a 2024 special election by 25 percentage points, while Osborn lost his 2024 race against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by seven points . This year, the Democratic nominee ended her campaign in July, leaving Osborn one-on-one with Ricketts .</p> <p>Ricketts attacked Osborn as a secret Democrat. &quot;Democrat Dan is too extreme, and he would be the most extreme senator we&#39;ve ever sent to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska,&quot; Ricketts said at a September debate . Osborn stressed he would not caucus with either party if elected, but he had the backing of the Nebraska Democratic Party .</p> <p>Osborn focused on costs. &quot;I&#39;ve gone around the state, and I&#39;ve talked to thousands of Nebraskans and hardworking people — teachers, truck drivers, nurses, lunch ladies, you name it,&quot; he said at the debate . &quot;Costs are getting too expensive. Healthcare is getting too expensive. Groceries are too expensive, and families are falling behind&quot; .</p> <p>The race was shaped by Trump&#39;s sinking approval ratings, voter frustration with high costs and the war with Iran, and high diesel prices that hit farmers . At an October rally in Nebraska, Trump signed an executive order expanding access to &quot;red dye&quot; diesel used in farming . &quot;Prices are all going down. Prices are all going way down, but they really are going to plummet as soon as that war ends,&quot; Trump said .</p> <p>Ricketts&#39; victory wards off an outcome that could have subtracted from the Democrats&#39; majority, and retaining the seat is a relief to the GOP . Nebraskans haven&#39;t elected a candidate who wasn&#39;t a Republican since 2006 . That matters because retaining the seat avoids further subtraction from the GOP&#39;s Senate numbers after a series of Democratic victories in states Trump won handily in 2024 .</p> <p>Osborn stressed during the campaign that he would not caucus with either party if elected . Ricketts will serve a full six-year term after completing the final two years of former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse&#39;s term .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ricketts-wins-nebraska-senate-seat-holding-off-independent-osborn">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/ricketts-wins-nebraska-senate-seat-holding-off-independent-osborn.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. CBS News, “Pete Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate election, CBS News projects” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/nebraska-2026-senate-ricketts-osborn/
2. NBC News, “GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts fends off independent Dan Osborn in Nebraska Senate race” (2026-11-04). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/pete-ricketts-nebraska-se

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.