Nebraskans got a look Tuesday at what all the fuss is about in the state’s second-straight U.S. Senate race with the potential to upend a decades-old pattern of Republicans winning big.
The state’s political spotlight turned to an old rite of passage — a statewide general election debate at the Nebraska State Fair, held around the time kids head back to school.
The matchup featured Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor who emphasized the virtues of tax and spending cuts, and registered nonpartisan Dan Osborn, a former Omaha labor leader who leaned into his working-class fight against millionaires and billionaires he says game the system.
The debate was sponsored by News Channel Nebraska, a statewide news outlet with over-the-air broadcast availability in most parts of the state, including the Omaha area.
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Panelists represented The World-Herald, Nebraska Examiner, Flatwater Free Press and News Channel Nebraska, the debate host, which is partially owned by U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb.
Watch the full debate above.
Independent Dan Osborn challenges incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts for his seat in the Senate. Here's what to know ahead of their debate at the Nebraska State Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Photos: US Senate debate between Sen. Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for U.S. Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., participates in a Senate debate with Dan Osborn, a nonpartisan candidate, at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a debate with U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Attendees watch as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, a nonpartisan candidate for Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
News Channel Nebraska's Dave Griek moderates a U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, a nonpartisan candidate, at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., participates in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., participates in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Attendees watch as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Attendees watch U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and registered nonpartisan Dan Osborn participate in a Senate debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Dan Osborn, nonpartisan candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Osborn, a nonpartisan candidate for Senate, participate in a debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and nonpartisan Dan Osborn shake hands after participating in a Senate debate at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
