Senate hopeful with deep Dem ties has paid household over $350K from his marketing campaign coffers

Dan Osborn, a Nebraska “impartial” Senate hopeful with deep ties to Democrats, has confronted criticism for funneling a big quantity of marketing campaign funds to his relations, together with nearly $250,000 to his spouse and her political consulting agency. 

Throughout each his failed bid in 2024 and his present bid within the 2026 cycle, Osborn, his spouse, daughter and sister-in-law have raked in north of $370,000, in keeping with Federal Election Fee (FEC) filings reviewed by Fox Information Digital. The cash originates from Osborn’s marketing campaign and his affiliated political motion committee, the Working Class Heroes Fund. 

In July, Osborn, who’s making an attempt to oust incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., confronted warmth over his FEC filings that confirmed his marketing campaign made six funds to his spouse, Megan, amounting to roughly $19,000 between April and June. 

“Should you’re James Carville, and also you’re operating, and also you rent your spouse Mary Matalin, that’s one factor,” Perre Neilan, a longtime Nebraska political strategist and former government director of the Nebraska Republican Occasion, mentioned after the funds got here to mild. “However this one, I believe – this one stinks.” 

A number of months later, it was revealed that Osborn additionally funneled over $100,000 to a shadowy political consulting agency co-owned by his spouse final yr. 

The FEC made it simpler for candidates to pay themselves in 2023, a transfer meant to present much less rich of us a neater shot at operating. 

Osborn, who has been endorsed by leaders of the Nebraska Democratic Occasion and has obtained marketing campaign money from a number of Democratic campaigns, together with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has not been the one candidate to make the most of this. Nonetheless, whereas the funds will not be unlawful, critics have taken situation with the dearth of political expertise from Osborn’s spouse, a former restaurant supervisor.

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Throughout each Osborn’s 2024 and 2026 campaigns, his spouse, who beforehand managed an Omaha sports activities pub, in keeping with the Lincoln Journal Star, has raked in at the least $246,000 immediately from the marketing campaign and from the Working Class Heroes Fund, FEC filings reviewed by Fox Information Digital present. The cash goes each to Megan immediately and her Wyoming-based political consulting agency, which has confronted transparency considerations. Her affiliation was solely uncovered after Osborn filed an amended monetary disclosure after the press began asking questions.   

When reached for remark, an Osborn marketing campaign spokesperson referred Fox Information Digital to feedback Osborn made final yr to the Lincoln Journal Star. 

Megan “has been instrumental in recruiting, making ready and supporting a number of working-class candidates throughout Nebraska and the nation who share Dan’s imaginative and prescient to repair our damaged politics,” an Osborn marketing campaign spokesperson advised the Lincoln Journal Star in November.

“I work 40, 50 and even 90 hours per week on the marketing campaign path,” Osborn added final yr when he was going through warmth over the matter. “Megan does too. Most Senators have hundreds of thousands, even billions. However we’ve discovered that it’s nearly unattainable to run for Senate as a daily one that must pay the payments and put meals on the desk. That’s why the Senate has grow to be a rustic membership stuffed with millionaires, and it’s why lower than 2 p.c of our flesh pressers come from the working class.” 

Osborn, a former steamfitter and industrial mechanic, has raked in a wage from his marketing campaign of round $120,000, monetary filings reviewed by Fox Information Digital additionally present.

In the meantime, Georgia, Osborn’s daughter, and Jodi, his sister-in-law, have raked in 1000’s from Osborn’s marketing campaign and political motion committee. Georgia, a part-time dancer who Osborn says nonetheless wants assist paying her payments, was given $4,200 after Osborn’s first marketing campaign and earlier than launching his 2026 bid for “assistant providers” from the then-dormant marketing campaign.

Osborn’s sister-in-law, Jodi, obtained $1,400 for “treasurer providers” on the finish of 2025, in keeping with marketing campaign disclosures which additionally present that she is listed because the Working Class Heroes Fund’s Treasurer.

Along with questions on how Osborn is paying his family members, critics of the candidate have additionally balked at his resolution to run as an impartial. Osborn has indicated he has no plans to caucus with both main social gathering if elected and says on his web site that, as an Unbiased, he’s “uniquely positioned” to get issues accomplished in Congress. 

Nonetheless, Osborn’s resolution to money in on nationwide Democratic Occasion help, together with using the social gathering’s major fundraising platform, ActBlue, have led to questions on how impartial he actually will likely be.

In December, Osborn was slammed for hiring an anti-cop staffer seen at an anti-police occasion that includes severed pig heads, and the company creating Osborn’s adverts, Combat Company, was additionally behind adverts for the Zohran Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, and different Democrats. 

One of many agency’s leaders mentioned they have been struck by Osborn’s “over efficiency” in 2024, main him to surmise “that Democrats have to run a variety of totally different sorts of campaigns.”

The consulting agency co-owned by Osborn’s spouse, Unbiased Campaigns, has additionally labored with Democrat candidates. FEC filings present Nathan Sage, a Democrat operating for Senate in Iowa, has paid 1000’s to Osborn’s spouse’s consulting agency.