Nebraska Democrats and Independents are raising concerns about a potential decoy candidate running for the U.S. Senate.
Bill Forbes is running as a Democrat, but the state party says he is a fake candidate. A CNN report diving deep into his background is making national headlines after being discussed for a few weeks now.
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said the party worries Forbes will siphon votes away from others in the race.
"William Forbes is straightline republican ideological person who has admittedly voted for Donald Trump three times," Kleeb said.
"It’s remarkable in a state that is traditionally red that republicans are going to such lengths to kick democratic candidates off of the ballot," Kleeb said.
Forbes said this afternoon he is a real Democrat and that CNN got played by the Osborn campaign.
"CNN just got played like a cheap fiddle by Dan Osborn and his desperate crew. I’m a real Democrat in the mold of JFK and Ben Nelson — tough, practical, and focused on working families instead of coastal lunacy. What flies in radical California dies in Nebraska. Voters here want a strong Democrat who reaches across the aisle and actually unites people — not another phony independent puppet like Dan Osborn.
After a decade of Pete Ricketts dumping millions into Nebraska and destroying our safety net, wrecking our rural communities, and pushing his extreme agenda, Nebraska Democrats can’t afford to fall for this nonsense. It’s time for Nebraska Democrats to unite behind a real Democrat who puts Nebraska first," Forbes tells me.
When I reached out to republican Pete Ricketts and independent Dan Osborn, both denied any involvement and pointed fingers at each other.
"The Ricketts campaign had no role in the Democratic primary. The only candidate in this race with a record of meddling in primaries and undermining the democratic process is Dan Osborn. Time and again, Osborn says one thing in public while doing the exact opposite behind closed doors," Ricketts said.
"It was painfully obvious that Pete Ricketts and Jessica Flanagain would have to revert to their classic dirty tricks – they know Pete can’t win a one-on-one matchup against Dan. Unfortunately for Ricketts, Bill Forbes’ trojan-horse campaign is doomed," Osborn said.
Forbes said voters should choose him over Ricketts, Osborn and Democrat Cindy Burbank.
Voters can expect to see Forbes' name on the ballot in May.
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