Nebraska

Why the UAW's Shawn Fain Is So Excited About Nebraska Independent Dan Osborn

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2024

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Why the UAW's Shawn Fain Is So Excited About Nebraska Independent Dan Osborn

Politics

/
November 2, 2024

The union leader says that electing a genuinely working-class senator like Osborn could upend all of American politics.

Independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn speaks during his campaign stop at the Handlebend coffeshop in O’Neill, Neb., on Monday, October 14, 2024.

(Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The US Senate, which was historically described as “the most exclusive club in the world,” is frequently decried these days as “a millionaire’s club,” where the interests of working Americans are neglected in order to meet the demands of billionaire campaign donors and Wall Street insiders. The senators who bow to the billionaire class come from both parties. Indeed, while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support unions and proposals for minimum wage hikes, many Democrats have joined with Republicans to advance trade policies that have shuttered tens of thousands of factories, and more than a few shy away from populist calls to “tax the rich”—perhaps because so many are, themselves, wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of most Americans.

But what if the Senate had a member who rejected party ties and simply represented workers? What if that senator was a machinist who had served as a union leader and led an epic strike against corporate greed?

“I think it would be huge, and I think it would send notice to both parties that they better get on board with working-class people,” United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain told me recently. As the November 5 election approaches, Fain is pouring his energy into electing just such a candidate. In October, the labor leader, who rose to national prominence as the leader of last year’s successful UAW strike against the nation’s three major vehicle manufacturers, traveled to Nebraska to stump in union halls for independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn.

An industrial mechanic by trade who worked for the better part of two decades at the sprawling Kellogg’s plant in Omaha, Osborn served as president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G. In 2021, he and members of the local walked off the job in a 77-day strike against a two-wage tier system, as well as a host of other issues. The strike drew national attention and made Osborn something of a local hero—especially among working people who were fed up with corporate greed. Fired by Kellogg’s, Osborn became a boiler maintenance worker and joined Steamfitters and Plumbers Local 464 in Omaha.

This year, he is also the highest-profile independent candidate for the Senate—an outsider who is stirring things up in a suddenly competitive red-state contest.

“I haven’t always been political,” explained Osborn, when I followed his campaign in Nebraska earlier this year. He said he didn’t think a lot about campaigns and elections “until corporate greed came knocking on my door when I was president of BCTGM Local 50G.”

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“During Covid, we were working seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” Osborn said. “At one point in time, 50 percent of our workforce was forced to quarantine and/or [was] sick, but we kept the plants running at full capacity. (Kellogg’s) made record profits that year — they went from $19 billion to $21 billion. The CEO gave himself a $2 million raise. The board enriched themselves, the stockholders enriched themselves, [but] at the same swipe of the pen, after they gave themselves a raise, they tried to take from their workers, so we went out on strike.”

Osborn and the union secured a contract after 77 days on the picket line. But Osborn said, “The experience really opened my eyes… It changed who I was and how I saw my world.”

What he saw was a political class that too frequently failed workers, and a US senator from Nebraska, Republican Deb Fischer, with a long record of opposing worker rights and doing the bidding of Wall Street. Osborn could have run as a Democrat, or as a Republican primary challenger to Fischer. But he decided to campaign as an independent because that’s where his political instincts are. “I’m not going to change who I am,” he says. “I have to stay true to myself. If I don’t do that, then why am I doing this?”

What he’s doing instead is running a grassroots campaign that, as he put it, says “Washington, D.C., is broken, and we need somebody to fix it.” Partisans aren’t likely to do the job, he argues, “because they just have to get in line. I don’t want to get in line with anybody. I’ve never been good at that.”

Osborn tells crowds gathered in union halls and community centers that he wants to go to the Senate as a champion for stronger unions, higher wages, trade policies that favor workers and their communities, a better deal for working farmers and a pushback against corporate greed that will lead to “closing loopholes used by multi-nationals to avoid paying taxes.” That populist message has attracted Democrats and at least some Republicans. Both Bernie Sanders supporters and Donald Trump fans now show up at Osborn’s events. And he has been climbing in the polls. A late October survey for The New York Times put Fisher at 48 and Osborn at 46.

For observers of the brutal battle for control of the US Senate, which Democrats and their allies now hold by a narrow 51-49 margin, the prospect that Nebraska—a very red state that is all but certain to vote for Trump— might oust a Republican senator is big news. As Politico noted Friday, “If Dan Osborn, a populist independent, wins an upset victory in the Senate race here, it will be a humiliating blow to Republicans.” With Democrats all but certain to lose a seat in West Virginia, and in serious danger of losing one in Montana, Osborn could end up being the only senator standing in the way of a Republican majority. But the candidate, who is both pro-choice and a critic of at least some Democratic approaches to budgeting, says he’s not in a hurry to join the caucus of either party.

That makes a lot of political insiders nervous. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is not helping Osborn because the committee’s head, Michigan Senator Gary Peters, says the Nebraskan is “not a Democrat.” But Fain has no qualms about campaigning for Osborn. He views the Nebraska campaign as one of the most exciting political developments of 2024.

“Working-class people are what makes this country move, and what makes the world move. So we need to start electing people that come from those ranks, that understand what it means to live paycheck to paycheck, or to not have money at the end of the week, or to not have adequate health care or retirement security,” says the UAW leader. “The majority of Americans are living that. So, if we’re going to change things in this country, we have to elect people at all levels of government that understand those issues and are going to fight for those things.”

What delights Fain in particular is the prospect of sending a mechanic to fix what’s broken in Washington. “He’s a working-class person. That’s what this is all about,” the UAW president says. “It’s ironic that, over the years, because of this capitalist system, you always hear people talking about how, ‘Oh, this (candidate) is a businessperson.’ We’re always electing business people, and we see where that puts us. It puts us in a system of government where everything’s for sale, and where working-class people are left behind.”

So, argues Fain, why not elect a former union leader?

“When you are a union leader at a local level, national level, whatever it is, you are answering to people. You are representing a membership,” he says. “It’s no different from a congressperson, who is representing constituents. It’s the same thing, the same concept. Running a local union or a national union, you have so much money to work with, you have a budget. You manage people. You have to know the business end of those things. So, obviously, there are a lot of similarities. But, to me, the difference is that, when you’re a union leader, your fight is about bringing justice to working-class people and having decent wages, having health care, having retirement security, and getting more of your time for yourself – so that you don’t have to work all your time to live.”

That, says Fain, is exactly the sort of experience that’s needed in the Senate.

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Nebraska completes sweep over Michigan State in 12-2 seven-inning win

Published

3 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska completes sweep over Michigan State in 12-2 seven-inning win

Nebraska baseball (10-5, 3-0) closed out its three-game series with Michigan State (3-11, 0-3) on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers completed the sweep over the Spartans, earning a 12-2 run-rule win in seven.

Nebraska shut down Michigan State early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first after the Spartans took a 1-0 lead. The Huskers scored 11 straight before surrendering another run. The team totaled 11 hits and held Michigan State to three. The Spartans also suffered five errors.

Nebraska struck three home runs on the day, two off the bat of Dylan Carey. He hit 3-for-4 for four RBIs after hitting multiple two-run home runs. Preston Freeman also blasted a two-run shot over the wall to finish 1-for-3.

Case Sanderson brought in three RBIs after batting 2-for-4 with a double. Drew Grego also finished 2-for-4, earning one RBI. Mac Moyer grabbed one RBI off a double. Jett Buck and Joshua Overbeek each delivered one hit.

Gavin Blachowicz (2-1) won at the mound and pitched all seven innings for the Huskers. He struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed three hits for two runs.

Nebraska remains at home for its next matchup, hosting North Dakota State on Wednesday night. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

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Nebraska

Cale Jacobsen scores 15 and No. 9 Nebraska beats Iowa 84-75 in overtime after blowing late lead

Published

15 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Cale Jacobsen scores 15 and No. 9 Nebraska beats Iowa 84-75 in overtime after blowing late lead

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cale Jacobsen came off the bench to score 13 of his 15 points after halftime and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in overtime, and ninth-ranked Nebraska matched its program record for wins in a season with an 84-75 victory over Iowa on Sunday.

Sam Hoiberg, who scored 15 points and had five steals on his senior day, hugged teammate Pryce Sandfort near halfcourt as time ran out and then heaved the ball high into the stands. He and his father, coach Fred Hoiberg, embraced and a short time later the rest of the Huskers came out of the tunnel to salute the sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) led by 10 points with five minutes left in regulation but missed five of its next seven shots and a couple of late free throws to let the Hawkeyes back in it. Kael Combs scored Iowa’s last eight points of regulation, including a second-chance 3-pointer that tied it 70-all with 2.7 seconds left.

After Cooper Koch tied it at 75-all in overtime, Jacobsen made a 3 from the corner and the Huskers went on to score the final nine points. The Huskers beat Iowa (20-11, 10-10) for the first time in five meetings and split the season series.

Sandfort, who transferred from Iowa after last season, scored 15 points and Rienk Mast added 14 for the Huskers.

Combs and Koch had 18 points apiece for the Hawkeyes, who committed 19 turnovers.

Up next

Iowa: The Hawkeyes are the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and play Oregon or Maryland on Wednesday.

Nebraska: The Huskers are the No. 2 seed and play Friday.

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Nebraska

Carey’s Two Home Runs Help Nebraska Baseball Stomp Michigan State, Sweep Weekend Series

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Carey’s Two Home Runs Help Nebraska Baseball Stomp Michigan State, Sweep Weekend Series

The first Big Ten Conference series of the year for NU ends in a sweep.

Nebraska baseball pounded Michigan State in Sunday’s series finale at Haymarket Park, 12-2, in seven innings. The Huskers improved to 10-5, while the Spartans fell to 3-11.

With Sunday’s victory, NU moves to 3-0 in the league.

The Game
The Stats
What’s Next
Nebraska Baseball’s 2026 Schedule

The Game

Down 2-0 in the series, Michigan State needed a spark early to try to salvage at least one win in Lincoln. In the top of the first inning, first baseman Randy Seymour took a 3-1 pitch from Gavin Blachowicz to right center and over the fence.

But, for the Spartans, that spark was quickly extinguished.

Nebraska loaded the bases with no outs on a walk, a single, and a single. Case Sanderson then doubled to score them all. He would cross home plate two batters later when Preston Freeman smacked a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a two-run homer.

Case Sanderson gloves the ball for an out at first base. | Amarillo Mullen

Already up 5-1, Dylan Carey lifted a two-run home run in the second inning. The Huskers would tack on one run in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. At the end of the game, Nebraska scored in every inning in which it went to the plate.

Blachowicz sat down 11 batters from the second through fifth innings. A leadoff double in the sixth inning helped Michigan State add one more run to its tally.

In the top of the seventh inning, with a 10-run rule waiting to be enacted, the Spartans got a one-out single before being put down via a fly out and a fielder’s choice to end the game.

The Stats

Blachowicz pitched the entire 7.0 innings Sunday afternoon. He allowed two earned runs on three hits, walking one and striking out 11.

The Huskers, who rattled off 11 hits, were aided by five Spartan errors. That helped bring home extra runs, with four of the 12 runs scored being unearned.

The Nebraska baseball dugout looks on against Michigan State at Haymarket Park. | Kenny Larabee, KLIn

Carey led the way at the plate for the Big Red. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two home runs, and three runs scored.

Nebraska left seven runners on base, while Michigan State stranded just two.

What’s Next

Nebraska’s nine-game homestand continues with a midweek contest against North Dakota State.

The Bison are 1-14 on the year and coming off a sweep at Vanderbilt. The lone victory was 5-1 over Monmouth at the Stetson Tournament on Feb. 21.

First pitch from Haymarket Park on Wednesday is slated for 6 p.m. CDT. The game will be streamed on B1G+.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

Nebraska Baseball’s 2026 Schedule

Feb. 13 Nebraska 12, UConn 2 [7 inn.] (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 14 Nebraska 7, Northeastern 4 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 15 Nebraska 9, Grand Canyon 1 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 16 Stanford 11, Nebraska 6 (MLB Desert Invitational)
Feb. 20 Louisville 4, Nebraska 2 (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 21 Kansas State 3, Nebraska 3 FloCollege (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 22 Nebraska 10, Florida State 1 (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series)
Feb. 27 Nebraska 9, Auburn 8 [10 inn.]
Feb. 28 Auburn 15, Nebraska 4 [7 inn.]
Mar. 1 Auburn 12, Nebraska 3
Mar. 3 Nebraska 8, Omaha 5
Mar. 4 Nebraska 5, South Dakota State 4
Mar. 6 Nebraska 5, Michigan State 4 [10 inn.]
Mar. 7 Nebraska 3, Michigan State 1
Mar. 8 Nebraska 12, Michigan State 2 [7 inn.]
Mar. 11 vs. North Dakota State 6 p.m.
Mar. 13 vs. Maine 6 p.m.
Mar. 14 vs. Maine 2 p.m.
Mar. 15 vs. Maine 12 p.m.
Mar. 17 at Wichita State 6 p.m.
Mar. 18 at Wichita State 2 p.m.
Mar. 20 at Michigan 3 p.m.
Mar. 21 at Michigan 1 p.m.
Mar. 22 at Michigan 12 p.m.
Mar. 24 at Kansas State 6 p.m.
Mar. 27 vs. Indiana 6 p.m.
Mar. 28 vs. Indiana 2 p.m.
Mar. 29 vs. Indiana 12 p.m.
Mar. 31 at Creighton 6 p.m.
Apr. 3 vs. Penn State 6 p.m.
Apr. 4 vs. Penn State 2 p.m.
Apr. 5 vs. Penn State 12 p.m.
Apr. 7 vs. Kansas 6 p.m.
Apr. 10 at Oregon 7 p.m.
Apr. 11 at Oregon 4 p.m.
Apr. 12 at Oregon 2 p.m.
Apr 14 vs. Creighton 6 p.m.
Apr. 17 vs. USC 6 p.m.
Apr. 18 vs. USC 2 p.m.
Apr. 19 vs. USC 12 p.m.
Apr. 21 at Kansas 6 p.m.
Apr. 24 at Illinois 6 p.m.
Apr. 25 at Illinois 3 p.m.
Apr. 26 at Illinois 1 p.m.
Apr. 28 vs. Kansas State 6 p.m.
May 1 at Ohio State 5 p.m.
May 2 at Ohio State 2 p.m.
May 3 at Ohio State 12 p.m.
May 8 vs. Iowa 6 p.m.
May 9 vs. Iowa 2 p.m.
May 10 vs. Iowa 1 p.m.
May 12 at Creighton 6 p.m.
May 14 at Minnesota 6 p.m.
May 15 at Minnesota 6 p.m.
May 16 at Minnesota 1 p.m.
May 19-24 Big Ten Tournament