Osborn seeks to unseat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts after failing to defeat Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024
Dan Osborn, the independent Nebraska Senate candidate who presents himself as a centrist, has two longtime Democratic Party operatives serving as treasurers for both his campaign and a “conservative” political committee that the campaign has launched to reach voters in the deep-red state.
Osborn, whose campaign website bills him as a “lifelong Independent,” launched his campaign Tuesday to unseat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, just months after losing to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer. In addition to its normal campaign committee, Osborn’s team formed an “authorized committee” called Conservatives for Osborn to back his new bid. But a review of the organization shows the name is misleading.
Brandon Philipczyk and James Vihstadt, who serve as treasurers of both the Osborn campaign and Conservatives for Osborn, have worked for years in Democratic politics. Philipczyk, a principal at the firm Bison Strategies, served as director of operations in Nevada for the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 and national coordinated operations director for the Democratic National Committee until 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also held roles with the Florida Democratic Party and Mike Bloomberg’s Democratic presidential primary campaign in 2020. Vihstadt is a delegate for the Nebraska Democratic Party and has donated exclusively to Democratic political candidates over the years.
It’s the latest example of Osborn having deep Democratic ties while claiming to eschew both political parties.
During his maiden campaign last year, Osborn downplayed support he received from Democrats and claimed he would not caucus with either party if elected. But national Democrats viewed Osborn as an asset. Senate Majority PAC, the group controlled by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, gave $3.8 million to Retire Career Politicians, a super PAC that backed Osborn. Schumer suggested days before the election that Osborn would caucus with Democrats. Osborn quickly distanced himself from Schumer’s remarks, saying, “I’m a true Independent, and I’ve said over and over again that I do not plan to caucus with either party.”
Osborn launched his campaign in 2023 with the help of a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who authored a blueprint on how to achieve “socialism in our lifetime,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Osborn’s campaign formed Conservatives for Osborn as a “candidate authorized committee” just weeks before the election last year, and transferred $230,000 to the committee to spend on a series of television ads in the waning days of the campaign, disclosures show. Osborn spoke at a Conservatives for Osborn event held at his campaign office in Lincoln on Oct. 23, where Osborn was flanked by a rancher in a cowboy hat.
Philipczyk and Vihstadt, the Democratic operatives, filed paperwork to reauthorize Conservatives for Osborn in April, according to campaign disclosures. The group has not disclosed any expenditures or donations so far this cycle.
The Osborn campaign did not respond to a request for comment.