“Independent populist Dan Osborn, whose insurgent Senate campaign seriously threatened one of Nebraska’s Republicans from securing a third term last year, is now taking on GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts — one of the wealthiest members of Congress,” Politico reports.

“Dan Osborn, the independent Senate candidate who nearly toppled an incumbent Republican last year, is taking steps to prove his overperformance in deep-red Nebraska was no fluke,” Politico reports.

“On Thursday he announced the formation of an exploratory committee, setting him on potential collision course with one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, Republican Pete Ricketts — something Osborn said amplified the ‘illness’ of the uber wealthy influencing politics.”

Said Osborn: “Billionaires have bought up the country and are carving it up day by day. The economy they’ve built is good for them, bad for us.”

A new New York Times/Siena poll in Nebraska finds Deb Fischer (R) clinging to a lead over challenger Dan Osborne (I), 48% to 46%.

“At a recent series of campaign stops in small-town Nebraska, Dan Osborn, the little-known labor leader and car mechanic who is running for Senate as an independent, made his pitch to voters in the form of an allegory about the mice who elect cats to represent them,” the New York Times reports.

“As Mr. Osborn tells it, the mice keep voting for different breeds of cats in the hope that one will make good on their promises to make things better, but none ever do. Eventually, the mice realize that their real problem is not which cat they elect — it’s that they keep electing cats in the first place…”

“The populist appeal — in which members of both major political parties are cast as feline villains and Mr. Osborn as one of the preyed-upon rodents — has helped propel his challenge to Senator Deb Fischer, a second-term Republican who until recently had appeared to be on a glide path to re-election. Now, polls show the two in a tightening race that could potentially sway the balance of power in the Senate.”

“Senate Republicans’ top super PAC is jumping into Nebraska’s closer-than-expected Senate race,” Semafor reports.

“The Senate Leadership Fund plans to spend $3 million in the Cornhusker State over the final two weeks of the election. It’s the latest sign that Republicans are taking Independent candidate Dan Osborn seriously as he mounts a tough challenge to GOP Sen. Deb Fischer — who is lagging behind Donald Trump in Nebraska.”

USA Today: Nebraska independent Dan Osborn could be poised to shake up U.S. Senate.

“A seemingly non-competitive Senate race in deeply Republican Nebraska is no longer a safe bet for two-term incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer — the dynamics jolted by the late-stage insurgence of independent Dan Osborn, who, if successful, could be the deciding factor on which party has control of the chamber, where Democrats currently hold a razor-thin 51-49 majority,” ABC News reports.

Said Osborn: “I hate to call it like I’m trying to call a Nebraska football game, but I would say I’m gonna win pretty substantially. People are ready for a change. People are sick of the status quo.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Nebraska finds Dan Osborne (I) leading Sen. Deb Fischer (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 44%.

A new SurveyUSA poll in Nebraska finds Sen. Deb Fischer (R) barely ahead of Dan Osborn (I) in the U.S. Senate race, 39% to 38%.

A YouGov poll released earlier in August showed a 2-point lead for incumbent Fischer, while an Impact Research poll taken the month prior showed a tied race.

Also of note: Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in Nebraska’s second congressional district, 47% to 42%.

Former Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster (R) is considering challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in 2024, The Dispatch reports.

“The news comes roughly two weeks after former two-term Gov. Ricketts—appointed by his successor Jim Pillen to fill former Sen. Ben Sasse’s seat—was sworn into office January 23.”

Omaha World Herald: “With Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse seemingly ready to accept a big job in academia and resign his seat, one big question swirled through Nebraska politics Thursday.”

“Does Gov. Pete Ricketts want Sasse’s job?”

“And that fundamental question in turn leads to others: If so, would he consider appointing himself to the Senate?”

Nebraska Democrats are asking their U.S. Senate candidate, Chris Janicek (D), to quit the race after he sent staffers text messages that the state party described as “sexually inappropriate,” the Omaha World-Herald reports.

Janicek’s texts described lining up multiple partners for group sex with a female staffer and suggested the “three guys” could be paid.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) kicked off his reelection bid Monday  and “struck a tone similar to that of his first election bid, juxtaposing folksy stories with sweeping proclamations about the nature of liberty and the philosophical underpinnings of American government,” the Omaha World Herald reports.

Said Sasse: “America is an experiment. America is an idea. What we said in 2014 is just as true now.”

He also added some new themes, saying the 2020 elections are “a choice between civics and socialism.”

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) “is expected to run for reelection next year and is likely to announce his campaign this summer,” Politico reports.

“While no final decision has been made and the Nebraska Republican still has to discuss the matter with his family, Republicans believe Sasse has every intention of running for his seat despite intense speculation to the contrary.”

“Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), a frequent critic of President Trump who said he could not support him during the 2016 cycle, is at risk of a significant primary challenge in 2020,” The Hill reports.

“A Nebraska Republican official told The Hill there are Republicans interested in running for Sasse’s seat, while a senior Republican aide predicted that Sasse will see a primary challenge.”