Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer faces her strongest challenge yet in independent Dan Osborn

Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer faces her strongest election challenge yet as she hopes to fend off an independent candidate, Dan Osborn. Osborn is a former labor union leader who eschewed both major parties while painting himself as a champion of the working class. Recent polling heading into Tuesday’s election suggests that Osborn’s message that the Senate is run by the wealthy elite resonated with voters. It’s unfamiliar territory for Fischer, a two-term Republican in deeply conservative Nebraska. Although she refused to debate Osborn, she has countered his rising popularity with televised attack ads labeling him as a liberal and warning that an Osborn win could cost Republicans control of the Senate.