Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) narrowly defeated independent Dan Osborn in the Nebraska Senate race on Tuesday night, overcoming a surprisingly competitive challenge in an otherwise Republican stronghold.
Fischer, elected to a third term, led Osborn 51.5% to 48.5% when the Associated Press called the contest at 12:03 a.m. EST, with about 72% of ballots counted.
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"Nearly $30 million: That's the amount of money that out-of-state Democrats spent trying to buy a Nebraska Senate seat," Fischer told supporters in a victory speech. "I can tell you that they wasted their money because, as it turned out, no matter how much the media and the Democrats wanted it to happen, Nebraskans still vote for candidates who share their values."
Osborn, a former labor leader, mounted what was initially a long-shot bid against the two-term incumbent that sent Republicans into a last-minute panic over narrow polling headed into the election.
There was no Democratic candidate. Osborn initially planned to accept the party’s endorsement following the primaries but later recanted.
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"Democrats flooded Nebraska with millions of dollars to prop up the fake independent challenging Deb Fischer," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of Senate GOP's campaign arm. "Deb overcame the flood of liberal dark money to secure a resounding victory this evening."
Senate Democrats saw the seat as an unexpected pickup opportunity in the final weeks of the campaign as they faced difficult but vital reelections in other states to keep their majority, forcing Republicans to divert at least some valuable resources and attention to the race.