Dan Osborn spent the year criticizing Donald Trump in his quest to flip Nebraska's reliably red Senate seat. But in the final days of his campaign, the independent candidate is suddenly embracing the former president—even promising to help him build a border wall.
"I'm where President Trump is on corruption, China, the border. If Trump needs help building the wall, well, I'm pretty handy," Osborn says in a TV ad released in late October.
Osborn, a union leader, in the ad casts his Trump-supporting opponent, Republican senator Deb Fischer, as among the "career politicians" who "tried to stop Trump, just like they're trying to stop me."
In a second ad, self-described Trump voters likewise claim that "Osborn's with Trump on China, the border, and draining the swamp" and that Fischer "has more in common with Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump."
Osborn's sudden self-proclaimed alignment with the former president comes as polls show his race with Fischer tightening to a 1-point deficit in a state where Trump is widely popular and enjoys a more than 16-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to FiveThirtyEight. Osborn has already acknowledged that he has to "peel off some conservatives" to win an election that could determine which party controls the Senate.
"He obviously needs Trump voters to win," said Alex Conant, a GOP consultant with Firehouse Strategies. "He is only going to win if he significantly outperforms Harris. Blurring the lines between him and the Republican candidate can help him appeal to Trump voters."
Derek Oden, Fischer's campaign manager, dismissed Osborn's latest advertised claims.
"If Dan Osborn wants to help President Trump build a border wall, why is Dan voting for Kamala Harris and supporting amnesty for illegals?" Oden said. "Dan is lying to Nebraskans, just like he's lying about being an independent."
Osborn's ads mark a drastic turn after spending months criticizing Trump. The New York Times described Osborn as "befuddled" on how to talk about the presidential election during an interview. He ultimately distanced himself from both Trump and President Joe Biden, describing them as "old" and "incompetent."
"There's a good chance I won't vote for president," Osborn told the paper in February.
In an April podcast appearance, he likewise mused whether Trump and Biden were really "the best our country can come up with."
In June, he said he had repudiated Trump altogether. The former president "lost Osborn for good" after Trump criticized John McCain ahead of the 2016 election, the Fremont Tribune reported in June following an interview with the Senate candidate. Osborn also told the Nebraska newspaper that Trump's 2016 presidential debate appearances were "embarrassing" and said he was "not happy with either of our choices."
Osborn's support for a border wall also marks a shift in talking points. Last month, he told Semafor that at least some illegal immigrants should be able to get Social Security cards. In a follow-up interview with an Omaha channel, Osborn said he believes illegal immigrants should have a "clear path … to become documented or become legal status."
Throughout his campaign to win over deep-red Nebraska, Osborn has portrayed himself as an independent, an image he has tried to hammer hard in the final stretch. But his campaign has deep ties to liberals and progressives. While acknowledging in an audio recording obtained by the Washington Examiner that he needed to win over conservatives, Osborn also professed to "love" socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).
One ad supporting Osborn described him as a "lifelong independent," but the candidate told the Times he was a Democrat until 2016. The Washington, D.C.-based PAC that funded the spot, Retire Career Politicians, has been bankrolled by left-wing dark money groups, including the Sixteen Thirty Fund.
And of nearly 200 donors who recently contributed more than $1,000, adding up to almost $400,000, just 6 were Nebraskans. Many lived in Washington, D.C., California, and Massachusetts. Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and cofounder of Justice Democrats, also contributed $6,600, the maximum allowed.
Early on in his campaign, Osborn retained the consulting firm Bread and Roses, which shares a name with a Democratic Socialists of America caucus. The firm is managed by former staffers for Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Reps. Cori Bush (D., Mo.) and Ro Khanna (D., Calif.).
Osborn's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.