Dan Osborn, an independent Senate candidate in Nebraska, is out with a new ad targeting President Donald Trump’s scheme to import additional beef and lower prices ahead of the midterm elections, the latest sign of how the president’s policies are creating political headaches for Republicans in rural states.
Read more Canada’s Carney Eyes Closer Ties To EU Amid Escalating Trade War With The U.S., WSJ Reports
But in a sign of the narrow tightrope Osborn must walk in a red state, his pun-filled ad on the topic mentions six different sources of protein but never the president. The 30-second spot instead criticizes a Congress “too chicken to stand up to the corporations who bought them off.”
“In this Nebraskan, they’ll meet their match,” says Osborn, a former union leader who is running with the support of the state Democratic Party. “I’ll cut the pork that’s wasting our money and making them rich. I’ll take on the coastal shrimps in both parties.” (The shrimps in question have the faces of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Osborn’s Republican opponent, Sen. Pete Ricketts.)
The plan in question, which Trump unveiled in August, allows the importation of more than 300,000 metric tons of ground beef trimmings over a three-month period. U.S. processors mix the imported trimmings with higher-quality American beef for sale. The goal is to lower the price of ground beef, which is averaging close to $7 a pound. Experts, however, are dubious the imports will lower consumer costs.
The plan has managed to anger ranchers, a key economic group in rural states like Nebraska. Farming groups across the country slammed Trump’s announcement as a betrayal of a group that loyally backed him in all three of his presidential runs.
Read more Sensitive Teeth? No Problem. These Gentle Whitening Products Really Work
Ricketts, for his part, has gently criticized Trump’s plan. “I appreciate the Administration’s work to lower grocery prices. Short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions. Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers,” he wrote on social media at the time.
Osborn has campaigned on a mix of socially conservative stances and economic populism as he tries to pull off an upset in a state the president won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024. The Navy veteran’s strategy paid dividends then, when he was able to win over a huge number of Trump voters but fell short against GOP Sen. Deb Fischer.
Democrats are hopeful a similar strategy can lift Osborn, who has pledged not to caucus with either party in Congress if he wins, over the finish line in a more favorable political environment this cycle. Polling of the race has been sparse and most political forecasters still consider Ricketts a clear favorite, though a SurveyUSA poll released on Monday gave Osborn a 46% to 42% edge, with 7% of voters undecided.
Read more A Derm Explains Why This Simple Product Is The Easiest Way To Moisturize Your Chest
Leave a Reply