Senate candidate running as 'Independent' continues to be bankrolled by left-wing donors

Independent candidate Dan Osborn continues to get funding from left-wing donors and activists despite claiming he will not caucus with either party if elected to the U.S. Senate, according to a review of campaign finance records. 

In addition to funds from ActBlue, Osborn also received thousands from political action committees affiliated with Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., former Democratic Party member of Congress Ron Kind, and Missouri Democrat candidate Lucas Kunce's defunct 2024 Senate campaign. 

Meanwhile, the son of Bill and Melinda Gates, Rory, donated $7,000 during the first quarter, as did Sean Eldridge, the founder and president of Stand Up America, which was established in 2016 to fight back against Donald Trump and claims "American democracy is rooted in a history of systemic racism, classism, and sexism, which continues to this day."

Osborn also received funds from Democratic megadonor Wendy Schmidt as well. Schmidt, according to campaign finance tracking website OpenSecrets, has given nearly $10 million in support of Democrats but nothing to Republicans.

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"So far, we have seen Dan Osborn cozy up to elite Washington Democrats — including those affiliated with Jeffrey Epstein, such as Bob Kerrey — while preaching an 'anti-billionaire' message," Chairwoman of the Nebraska Republican Party Mary Jane Truemper told Fox News Digital. "If those contradictory actions tell us anything, it’s that he will not keep his promise of not caucusing with either party. Nebraskans value transparency and reliability in our representatives. We have yet to see either from Dan Osborn.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​"

Fox News Digital reached out to the Osborn campaign about the donations but did not receive a response. A Fox News Digital review of Osborn's 2026 Q1 filings did not show any prominent Republican donors. Osborn does have an affiliated "Conservatives for Osborn" political action committee, but it received no donations in Q1 of 2026 and only had $68 cash-on-hand.

Besides being bankrolled by Washington Democrats, Democratic Party political action committees and the Democrat's main fundraising arm, Osborn also spreads his money out in support of other Democrats running for Congress. 

He has also been endorsed by leaders of the Nebraska Democratic Party, and the agency helping him with his digital effort, Fight Agency, was founded by a group of Democratic Party strategists, including consultants for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and the winning Senate bid for Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman and Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. The agency touts left-wing Democrat clients, such as New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders and progressive Democrat Rep. Greg Casar.

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Meanwhile, an ad buying firm for Osborn's hybrid PAC, the Working Class Heroes Fund, also has clients that include Jasmine Crockett, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and many other Democrats or Democrat-affiliated groups. 

"As an independent, I’ll be uniquely positioned to bring together a majority to get it done," Osborn's "Where I Stand" web page on his campaign website states in reference to securing the border from illegal immigration. "I believe we all have more in common with each other than we do with the partisans who run Washington."

Osborn has promised that if he gets elected, he will not caucus with either major party. But, many of his critics have questioned that pledge, and even top Democrats have suggested they will pick up another seat in Congress if Osborn wins.

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"Dan Osborn is a Fake Independent backed by radical leftists like Elizabeth Warren and Zohran Mamdani’s advisors," National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Nick Puglia told Fox News Digital. "It’s no surprise Osborn’s campaign is being bankrolled by even more Democrats and ActBlue donors."

Speaking at a town hall last year, Osborn reportedly told Nebraskans that if his bid as an Independent didn't work out, "there's only one party I would caucus with."

"If what I’m trying to do isn’t working, there’s only one party I would caucus with," Osborn said, according to unearthed audio from the event reported on by The Plains-Sentinel, a local Nebraska digital news outlet.

Osborn was then asked by an audience member in the audio to clarify which party that would be.

Osborn responded: "Not Pete Ricketts’s party."

Ricketts is the current Republican incumbent U.S. Senator from Nebraska and will be battling to beat out Osborn come November if he makes it out of the May 12 primary unscathed.