Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn, an independent supported by state Democrats, distanced himself from Graham Platner and denounced allegations he helped recruit the embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee.But Osborn, who is running to unseat Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), stopped short of joining the chorus of calls in the Democratic Party for Platner’s withdrawal after being accused of sexual assault by a former girlfriend.
“I have never recruited or supported Graham Platner, full stop. Our politics have nothing in common, and clearly neither do our values,” Osborn said in a statement. “I haven’t spent five minutes thinking about the Maine Senate race and neither have most Nebraskans, but I do know that Graham Platner should not be a U.S. senator.”
Osborn lost to Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) in 2024 and is running another independent campaign that Republicans say is a de facto Democratic effort. Every other major Senate candidate running against Republicans in competitive states has called for Platner to withdraw from the race so Maine Democrats can find a new nominee.Independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn speaks at an election night watch party at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center in La Vista, Neb., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bonnie Ryan)
