March 31 2026, 08:15 
Democrats in Nebraska are calling out a primary candidate as a Republican plant, saying that he is only running to divide the liberal vote in the state.
Conservative pastor William Forbes filed to run in the U.S. Senate race, which Democrats had worked to clear. The state party is supporting independent candidate Dan Osborn, who they believe will have a better chance of beating incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) if he runs as an independent.
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CNN looked into Forbes’ background. He posted several sermons to Facebook, where he railed against “cultural Marxism” (an antisemitic dog whistle), “radical feminism,” and the “left-wing media.” He attacked Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street protestors and praised Republicans for restricting abortion. He also referred to former President Joe Biden as “Dementia Joe.”
Forbes told CNN he has voted for the current president in several elections but insisted that he’s a lifelong Democrat. He was unable to name a single Democrat he had ever voted for but said that he’s a “free thinker” and “not a clone,” which is why he has a history of attending events sponsored by the state Republican Party.
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@cnn A Trump-supporting, anti-abortion pastor is running as a Democrat in Nebraska’s senate race. William Forbes, 79, entered the primary in early March, and is now accused of being a Republican plant by the Nebraska Democratic Party. CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski explains the complicated dynamics behind this unusual race. #cnn #cnnnews
♬ original sound – CNN
“He is running to trick voters,” said Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb in a statement, who accused Republican candidate Ricketts of “engineering” the plan to get Forbes to run, as Democrats may vote for him instead of Osborn, dividing the opposition vote.
Ricketts denies any involvement.
Making matters more complicated, a fourth candidate, Cindy Burbank, filed to run at the last minute as a Democrat when she saw that Forbes was running. She said her goal is to beat him in the primary and then drop out and support Osborn in the general election, a move that could get her disqualified if the state’s Republican government believes she isn’t running in good faith.
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