Nebraska Democrats chose Tuesday between Cindy Burbank and Bill Forbes for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination, a race that could shape whether Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts faces a competitive challenge in November. The winner will meet a senator who has already won one statewide race and is now seeking a full term after being appointed in 2023 and elected in a 2024 special election.
The contest matters because Nebraska has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in years. Republicans have held both of the state’s Senate seats since 2012, and Ricketts enters the general election with the advantage of that long run. But Democrats and independent candidate Dan Osborn have argued that the race should not be treated as routine after Osborn came within 7 points of defeating Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024.
The Nebraska Democratic Party had wanted to shape that argument around Burbank. Party leaders supported her in the primary and backed Osborn for the general election, after originally planning not to field a Democratic nominee at all. They said Burbank “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts,” and have been blunt that Forbes’ last-minute entry looks “fake” to them. That criticism reflects a deeper fear inside the party: that a weak Democratic nominee could split attention, muddy the anti-Republican message and make life easier for Ricketts in a state where margins matter.
The mechanics of the primary added their own strain. Nebraska Republican Secretary of State Bob Evnen removed Burbank from the ballot in March after a complaint from the Republican Party of Nebraska, then the Nebraska Supreme Court ordered her restored. By April 22, Burbank had about $4,300 in campaign funds, while Forbes reported zero monetary contributions. State records also show Forbes is a registered Democrat, a fact that has done little to settle suspicions among party loyalists who believe his late filing was meant to siphon votes from Osborn’s lane and help the GOP keep the seat.
The general-election picture now turns on who prevailed in the primary and whether Democrats can settle on a candidate who can be taken seriously outside the party’s base. If Burbank won, she will carry the support of state party leaders but little money. If Forbes won, Democrats are likely to keep battling over whether he is the kind of nominee who can turn Nebraska’s Senate race into the fight Osborn nearly made of Fischer’s seat last year.
