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Ongoing story / Nebraska

The 2026 Nebraska Senate race: Pete Ricketts vs. Dan Osborn

Overview · reviewed November 5, 2026

Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts won reelection in Nebraska's 2026 Senate race, defeating Dan Osborn, an independent backed by national Democrats, NBC News projected.[1][2] President Donald Trump had rallied for Ricketts in Grand Island in early October.[2]

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President Donald Trump had rallied for Ricketts in Grand Island in early October.[2]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-07-07 (UTC): 3%, 5 of 191 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 2 right)Week of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): under 1%, 2 of 475 tracked outlets (1 left, 1 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 2%, 11 of 480 tracked outlets (0 left, 9 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 476 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 4%, 17 of 479 tracked outlets (7 left, 6 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 3%, 13 of 471 tracked outlets (4 left, 4 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (6 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 202644513 of 4713%
Oct 5, 202676417 of 4794%
Sep 28, 20260213 of 4761%
Sep 14, 202609211 of 4802%
Aug 31, 20261102 of 475under 1%
Jul 7, 20250325 of 1913%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 4, 2026 · first reported · Headline from CBS News

    Pete Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate election, CBS News projects

Background

Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic who lost a 2024 Senate race as an independent to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by single digits, launched a bid in July 2025 against Nebraska's other Republican senator, Pete Ricketts.[3] At their Nebraska State Fair debate in September, Ricketts cast Osborn as a Democrat in all but name, and Osborn said Ricketts was not representing Nebraska.[4] Later that month, after weeks of leaked recordings, Osborn appeared to confirm the authenticity of one in which he criticized voters who support President Donald Trump.[5]

Trump campaigned alongside Ricketts in Grand Island in early October, as the president sought to reassure Republican voters about the economy ahead of the midterms.[2]

Supporting stories (5)
  1. Ricketts wins reelection over independent Osborn in Nebraska Senate race
  2. Trump heads to Nebraska, where his plan to import more beef has angered ranchers
  3. Nebraska independent Dan Osborn makes another bid for Senate
  4. Transcript: What Sen. Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn said at Nebraska State Fair debate
  5. Nebraska Senate candidate responds to leaked audio criticizing Trump voters: ‘We’re all angry right now’

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 5 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Ricketts wins reelection over independent Osborn in Nebraska Senate raceHeadline from The Hill · 13 outlets

September 2026

  1. Trump heads to Nebraska, where his plan to import more beef has angered ranchersHeadline from WFMZ Allentown · 19 outlets
  2. Nebraska Senate candidate responds to leaked audio criticizing Trump voters: ‘We’re all angry right now’Headline from KVIA El Paso · 11 outlets
  3. Transcript: What Sen. Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn said at Nebraska State Fair debateHeadline from Omaha World-Herald · 2 outlets

July 2025

  1. Nebraska independent Dan Osborn makes another bid for SenateHeadline from Roll Call · 5 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →