Overview
- Cindy Burbank submitted a formal declination request to the Nebraska Secretary of State on Friday asking to have her name removed from the November U.S. Senate ballot and publicly announced she was withdrawing.
- Secretary of State Bob Evnen confirmed receipt and said he will ask the state attorney general whether his office is required to honor the withdrawal and that he may move to keep her on the ballot, setting up a likely legal dispute.
- Election officials have already verified independent Dan Osborn’s petition signatures so he will appear on the ballot, and Burbank’s removal would likely produce a one-on-one race between Osborn and Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.
- Limited recent polling and fundraising reports show Ricketts holds an edge heading into November, with Ricketts raising more than three times what Osborn did last quarter.
- Burbank initially ran to block a different Democratic primary contender and won the May nomination after a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling forced her onto the ballot; the state party has since signaled support for Osborn and the attorney general’s response will determine the next legal and campaign steps.