Dan Osborn
American labor union leader (born 1975)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel L. Osborn (born March 29, 1975) is a U.S. Navy veteran, industrial mechanic, former labor union leader, and independent politician from Nebraska.
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Dan Osborn | |
|---|---|
Osborn in 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 29, 1975 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.[1] |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse | Megan Osborn |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Unit | USS Constellation (CV-64) (Navy) Nebraska Army National Guard Idaho Army National Guard Tennessee Army National Guard |
Osborn served in the Nebraska Army National Guard before working at Kellogg's Omaha plant. He eventually became president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G and led the strike at Kellogg's Omaha plant in 2021.
Osborn ran in the regular 2024 United States Senate election in Nebraska.[2] He drew attention for his unorthodox, populist platform and his unusually high-level support as a moderate independent candidate in what is usually a strongly Republican state. Some polls showed him in a dead heat with incumbent Deb Fischer, however she won by 7 points. Osborn's performance was the best ever for an independent candidate in a Nebraska US Senate race. Split Ticket, a data-driven political analysis and forecasting site, wrote that his performance was the strongest relative to the partisan nature of Senate elections.[3][4]
In 2024, Osborn established the Working Class Heroes Fund, a political action committee (PAC) supporting working-class candidates.[5][6] In 2025, he formed an exploratory committee for a possible run in the 2026 United States Senate election in Nebraska. On July 8, 2025, Osborn announced that he would enter the race as an independent, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts.[7][8][9]
Osborn's attempts to unseat Fischer and Ricketts have been called "rugged guy" campaigns, like Graham Platner's Senate campaign in Maine.[10]
Early life
Dan Osborn was born on March 29, 1975.[11] His mother was a seamstress,[12] and his father, Gary, worked for Union Pacific Railroad, loading cargo;[13] after retiring, he also served as a Republican Dodge County Commissioner.[14][15][16]
When Osborn was seven, his family moved to Omaha after his father was transferred with Union Pacific.[12] After an accident, Osborn's father was moved to the railroad company's management side and transferred out of state.[13] Osborn stayed in Omaha to finish high school and lived on his own starting at age 16, paying rent with odd jobs.[13] He graduated from Roncalli Catholic High School in 1994.[12][17]
Military career
After high school, Osborn enlisted in the United States Navy. He served four years as a storekeeper aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64), completing two Western Pacific cruises and two Exercise RIMPAC cruises.[17]
Osborn later joined the Nebraska Army National Guard. He attended the 19K Tanker school at the Idaho Army National Guard and served in the Tennessee National Guard.[12]
Union leader
In 2004, Osborn began working as an industrial mechanic at the Kellogg's Omaha plant, fixing the factory's machines.[18][19] He eventually became president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G.[20][21][22] He rose to national prominence when he led the 2021 Kellogg's strike at the plant.[18][23][24][25] The strike, which was prompted by a two-tier system of pay, and included other plants across the country, lasted 77 days.[2][21]
Kellogg's later fired Osborn.[26] He turned to boiler maintenance and repair work at Boys Town and became a member of Steamfitters and Plumbers Local 464.[27]
U.S. Senate campaigns
2024
Both Senate seats in Nebraska were up for reelection in 2024, one in a special election and the other in a regular election. Osborn ran as an independent in the regular election against Deb Fischer, who had no Democratic challenger. Osborn said he could represent working- and middle-class constituencies better than wealthy, establishment politicians.[28]
Osborn officially announced his candidacy as an independent candidate on October 5, 2023.[17] By March 2024, he had collected 4,000 signatures from Nebraska voters, enough to be eligible for the November ballot.[29][30] In August he submitted more than 12,000, guaranteeing his place on the ballot.[31]
Osborn has been registered as nonpartisan since registering to vote in 2004.[32] Although Democrats chose not to run a candidate in the Senate election, Osborn declined their endorsement.[2][33] The state Democratic Party considered running a write-in candidate,[34] accusing Osborn of misleading them about his intentions, but Osborn said he had always been clear that he would not accept endorsements from any political party.[35] Osborn wanted to form an independent caucus in the Senate rather than caucus with either party.[36] He called the current system a "two-party doom loop".[37] The Reform Party of the United States endorsed him in September 2024.[38] Senate Democrats did not engage with or help Osborn's campaign.[39]
Osborn raised more campaign funds, mostly small-dollar donations, than any independent candidate in Nebraska's history.[40] The last independent to win a Senate seat in Nebraska was progressive George Norris in 1936.[41]
Asked about his prospects in the race by the New York Times, Osborn said: "I've gone up against a major American corporation. I stood up for what I thought was right, and I won."[2] Of the major candidates in the 2024 United States presidential election he said (before Joe Biden withdrew): "I think they're both too old. I think they're both incompetent. There's a good chance I won't vote for president."[2] He later said he intended to vote for one of the two major-party candidates.[42]
The race between Osborn and Fischer, for what is usually a safe Republican Senate seat,[43][44] was unusually competitive for Nebraska, and potentially important in determining partisan control of the Senate.[45][46] In an August 2024 SurveyUSA poll sponsored by Split Ticket, Fischer held a narrow lead of 39% to 38% over Osborn, within the margin of error, while 23% of voters were undecided. The poll led the Nebraska Examiner to call the election a tight race.[47] The Cook Political Report's Senate and governor's editor said: "This is probably the most surprising race of the cycle. [Osborn] is such a different type of politician. He's a blue-collar worker—a mechanic. I think Fischer is a lower-profile senator who isn't as well known."[48] Various polls showed both of them leading and the race extremely tight.[42][49] An October 28 New York Times/Siena College poll showed Osborn two points behind Fischer, well within the margin of error.[50] Fischer won the election, 53% to 47%.[51][52]
Politico reported that the Democrats, after their losses in the 2024 elections, were studying Osborn's unusually competitive campaign, especially in a deep red state, as they rebuild their party and its image.[53]
2026
On July 8, 2025, Osborn announced he would run as an independent in the 2026 United States Senate election for the Class II seat held by Republican Pete Ricketts.[54][55][56] According to his team, Osborn raised about $2 million in 2025 for his campaign.[57]
The Nebraska Democratic Party acknowledges that a candidate from their party would not win and chose to clear the field to Osborn's advantage.[58]
A New York Times article suggested that Osborn may fare better among Hispanics in the state who are disappointed in the immigration policy of the second Trump administration and its effects on the Latino community.[59]
Political platform
Osborn's campaign platform was considered unorthodox and populist.[42] It focused on protecting small businesses, family farmers, and workers.[28]
Osborn's policy positions included raising the national minimum wage; lowering the tax rate for small businesses and overtime work; increasing border security and building the Mexico–United States border wall to stop illegal immigration; reforming the immigration system and exploring ways to legalize non-criminal long-term undocumented workers; ensuring resources for law enforcement and first responders; legalizing and taxing marijuana; improving railroad safety; facilitating union organizing; and protecting gun rights. Osborn supported a "libertarian approach" to hot-button issues like abortion rights and said that government should be kept out of private lives. He supported the right-to-repair of consumer goods such as cars and electronics, raising the cap on Social Security contributions for those with higher incomes and moving the full retirement age for Social Security benefits back to 65.[60][61][62][49][63][64]
Osborn has said he is personally pro-life but supports guaranteeing access to abortion within the limits set by Roe v. Wade and opposes a national abortion ban. He has said: "Since Roe v. Wade has been overturned, abortions are on the rise and women are dying." He said he supports "a woman being able to choose for her own body" but opposes late-term abortions, calling them "disgusting" and saying, "I don't know anybody who agrees with that."[65]
Osborn supports "defensive purpose only funding" to Israel.[66]
Osborn supports protecting gun rights and the Second Amendment and supports gun safety education in schools.[67][68]
After launching his 2026 campaign, Osborn said he would "welcome donations from anyone, whether you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, America Party", and said his primary goal if elected is to get big money out of American politics.[69] Of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and voters, he said: "They were sold a bill of goods that if you work hard in this country, your government is going to be there to have a level playing field for you to get ahead. But now we're seeing tax cuts for the billionaires at the expense of workers, people that are struggling to get by."[55]
Personal life
Osborn lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Megan; they have three children.[70] He is Catholic.[71]
Electoral history
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer (incumbent) | 499,124 | 53.19% | −4.50% | |
| Independent | Dan Osborn | 436,493 | 46.52% | — | |
| Write-in | 2,719 | 0.29% | +0.22 | ||
| Majority | 62,631 | 6.67% | −12.39% | ||
| Total votes | 938,336 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
