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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested Democrats were close to capturing a Senate seat in Nebraska, apparently referring to Independent Dan Osborn of Nebraska as a likely member of the Democratic caucus, which the Senate candidate has consistently denied.
“We have a reasonable chance of picking up three seats,” Schumer told Democrats during a virtual meeting with the Jewish Democratic Council of America in support of the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
“We’re even in Texas. We’re a point or two behind in Nebraska. We’re only three points behind in Florida,” the New York Democrat said in a video obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Dan Osborn told Fox News Digital that he has never spoken to Schumer. (Reuters | AP)
“So we did that – we’re about to keep the Senate, win the House of Representatives and keep the presidency,” Schumer continued.
No Democratic candidate has been nominated for the Senate race between incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Osborn, a labor leader and mechanic.
Osborn’s campaign told Fox News Digital that he has never spoken to Schumer before.
“I am a true independent and I have said time and time again that I have no intention of engaging with either party,” Osborn said in a statement.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“I’ve never spoken to Chuck Schumer, and he’s in for a rude awakening if he thinks I’m taking orders from him or anyone else in DC. My opponent Deb Fischer does what Mitch McConnell tells her. There’s something wrong with Washington. We need an independent party that will stand up to the party bosses and stop playing politics so that we can finally secure the border, pass an agricultural bill and serve the country instead of special interests,” he added.
While each of the four independent members currently in the U.S. Senate caucuses with Democrats, giving the party its current majority, Osborn has reiterated that he would not caucus with either party.
But this is complicated by the actions and comments of Democrats who have indicated they expect him to join them.
Beyond Schumer’s suggestion that Nebraska would be a likely opportunity for the party, a PAC tied to Democrat Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who previously ran for Congress, recently sent out a fundraising text claiming : ‘Then an independent will consult with the Democrats.”
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Osborn contested Fischer’s re-election bid and ran as an independent. (Reuters)
The campaign disputed the text’s and the PAC’s claim reportedly said the message was “incorrect” and not coordinated with Osborn’s team.
The incidents also coincided with investigations into Osborn’s financial support by outside groups.
Several outside groups have poured money into Nebraska Independent’s challenge for Fischer has gained momentum, some with ties to Democrats and a controversial dark money group linked to billionaire George Soros.
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Hungarian-born American investor and Democratic donor George Soros (Stof Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the main groups expenses on behalf of Osborn is Retire Career Politicians, who has received $800,000 in just a few months from the controversial dark money group, the Sixteen Thirty Fund.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund keeps the identity of its donors secret, but has received more than $75 million in grants from Soros’s Open Society Foundations between 2016 and 2022, according to the Open Society Foundations website.
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A representative for Schumer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
In a recent one New York Times/Siena College SurveyFischer defeated Osborn by just two points, 48% to 46%.
The survey surveyed 1,194 voters in Nebraska between Oct. 23 and 26. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on our Fox News Digital election hub.
Julia Johnson is a political writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business and leads coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a political reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].