The race for the U.S. Senate is a hot one between Republican Pete Ricketts and Independent Dan Osborn, with plenty of accusations and controversy involved.

The two will likely voice criticisms of one another when they debate from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the Nebraska State Fair.

Ricketts has raised considerably more funds than Osborn. According to a news report from the Nebraska Examiner, Ricketts has raised $6.3 million since April, with $5.2 million of that from his own pocket.

On the other hand, Osborn has raised about half that much, according to the Federal Election Commission, which reports income and expenses for both campaigns.   

Some of Ricketts’ major donors include:

• The American Israel Public Affairs Committee — $79,168
• Herzog — $42,000
• Sandhills Global — $28,000
• Union Pacific Corp — $24,000
• Tenaska Energy — $23,000

Osborns’ major donor is ActBlue, a political action committee (PAC) for Democrats, serving as a conduit for individual contributions. ActBlue has donated more than $500,000.

Under federal law, ActBlue contributions are made by individuals and technically not considered PAC donations. However, Republicans scrutinized ActBlue’s accounting and found evidence that groups and corporations were sending money to Osborn through ActBlue. In response, ActBlue made improvements, according to reports from The New York Times and other sources.

Also, two left-wing PACs — The Fight Agency and The Sixteen Thirty Fund – have donated to Osborn’s campaign, according to Fox News and other sources. The Fight Agency, specializing in digital advertising, was founded by Democratic Party strategists, including consultants who worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, according to an analysis by Real Talk Digest as well as other sources.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund has been described as a “dark money” group backed by George Soros, a wealthy donor to liberal candidates and causes.

The Nebraska candidates are firing shots at each other. Ricketts voices disdain for Osborn’s’ independent position, calling him ‘fake’ and a secret Democrat.

“He’s going to tell you he’s fighting for you, but he’s going to be working for the people who pay his bills, and that’s those folks in New York and California,” Ricketts said.

Oborn criticizes Rickets for using his wealth to bolster his campaign.

“Ricketts believes spending is free speech,” Osborn said. “He believes his voice is louder because he can write a bigger check.” 

Ricketts has drawn a disparaging label of a “billionaire” after spending considerable sums of his own money to support Republican candidates that he favored in the Legislature. He did so when he was governor, helping maintain the unofficial Republican majority in the technically non-partisan Nebraska Unicameral.  

On the other hand, Ricketts points out that Osborn gave away some of his donations from ActBlue to his inner circle, including his family, as well as disgraced Democrat candidate Graham Platner in Maine. Osborn has also done some fundraising alongside Dana Chasin, an alleged associate of Jeffrey Epstein.

Osborn responds by pointing out that Ricketts voted against the release of the Epstein files and once called the Epstein Transparency Act in Congress a “low priority” compared to other national issues.

The two will likely voice the criticisms in person during a public debate on Sept. 1 at the Nebraska State Fair.

The public debate Tuesday at the Nebraska State Fair will air live statewide on News Channel Nebraska TV as well as radio platforms. It will stream on the station’s app and website, as well as its social media platforms.

Questions will be asked by reporters from the Omaha World Herald, Nebraska Examiner and Flatwater Free Press, as well as News Channel Nebraska.

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