Nebraska ‘Independent’ Caught On Tape: Win, Then ‘Everybody Else Can F-Off’

Dan Osborn has spent his Senate campaign presenting himself to Nebraska voters as a moderate independent who can bridge the political divide.

But in a newly released recording, Osborn appears to describe a very different strategy: Say what he needs to say to win a Republican-heavy state, then govern according to the positions he has kept off the campaign trail.

“I can go and I can be the voice for LGBTQ and immigration and all of these issues. Then I lose the election,” Osborn said in the recording obtained by Townhall. “It feels good in the moment. At the end of the day, I’m gonna win this election. And then I’ll be the senator for six years and everybody else can f-off.”

The comments, recorded after a May 25 town hall in South Omaha, came during a conversation involving a transgender supporter and a mother and daughter who had brought a petition supporting a Nebraska constitutional amendment to keep biological males from competing in girls’ sports. Osborn declined to sign the petition. He described the measure as “rooted in hate” and further declined to commit to protecting girls’ sports.

Osborn is challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in the November 3 election. Recent polling shows a tight race: a SurveyUSA poll released September 14 found Osborn leading 46% to 42%, while a Wedgewood Polls survey released two days later showed Ricketts ahead 52% to 48%. Most major forecasters rate the race Likely or Lean Republican.

The recording is the latest in a series of private comments that have raised questions about how closely Osborn’s public campaign message reflects his stated policy views. In an earlier recording obtained by Townhall, Osborn discussed the electoral math he believes he faces in Nebraska, where he said Republicans make up roughly half of the electorate. He said he needs between 10% and 15% of Republicans to support him to win. “How am I going to do that by f—ing saying, ‘Oh, I love trans people, and they should be able to play in sports!’” Osborn said. “F— no, Jane, that’s not how I win.”

In another recording, Osborn said he couldn’t publicly say he wanted to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement because voters were recording him. “I have people recording me so I can’t say I want to abolish ICE, I can’t say those words,” Osborn said. “I’ll be f—ed.”

Osborn has also acknowledged publicly that he agrees with Democrats on a number of major policy questions. Asked by CNN whether he was “in line with a lot of Democrat positions,” Osborn responded, “I agree. I think a good idea is a good idea. Doesn’t matter to me where it comes from. I’m a lifelong independent; I come from a conservative household.” The positions discussed included codifying Roe vs Wade, opposing the working-family tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and raising taxes on wealthy Americans.

At the same time, a pro-Osborn political action committee has advertised him as an independent who will “stand up to liberal Democrats” on issues including gun rights, border security, and keeping boys out of girls’ sports.

Osborn’s campaign has maintained that he is independent of both parties. His campaign website says he is “unbeholden to party bosses” and will take positions that neither the Right nor Left would necessarily embrace. He has also said he will not caucus with either party if elected.

Undermining that, however, the Nebraska Democratic Party has formally endorsed Osborn. Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb endorsed him in 2025, saying Democrats, independents, and Republicans could form a coalition behind him. Osborn has nevertheless continued to campaign as a candidate outside the two-party system.

That claim has become increasingly difficult to square with his own comments. Earlier this month, leaked audio obtained by the Omaha World-Herald also captured Osborn describing President Donald Trump’s supporters in Nebraska in deeply disparaging terms, referring to a hypothetical voter as “Billy Bob” from Red Cloud and saying that Trump had effectively convinced them they were on the “winning team,” which is “all they care about, because their lives probably suck so f***ing bad.”

When CNN’s Dana Bash asked Osborn whether he was the speaker in that recording, he responded, “It sure sounds like me.”

Osborn said he did not remember the context, called the remarks out of character, and apologized to anyone who was offended. He also said he understood why Trump had attracted voters who were angry and felt disenfranchised.

Osborn’s campaign has not publicly repudiated the latest recording.

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