Schumer suggests the independent candidate from Nebraska would caucus with Democrats

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested that Democrats were close to picking up a Senate seat in Nebraska, apparently referring to independent Nebraska Rep. Dan Osborn as a likely Democratic caucus member Senate candidate has repeatedly denied.

“We have a good chance of winning three seats,” Schumer told Democrats during a virtual rally with the Jewish Democratic Council of America in support of the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.

“We’re actually in Texas. We're a point or two behind in Nebraska. We’re only three points behind in Florida,” the New York Democrat said in a video obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Dan Osborn told Fox News Digital he has never spoken to Schumer. (Reuters | AP)

“So there we have it – we’re on the verge of keeping the Senate, winning the House and keeping the presidency,” Schumer continued.

There is no Democratic candidate nominated in the Senate race between incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Osborn, a union leader and mechanic.

Osborn's campaign told Fox News Digital that he had never spoken to Schumer before.

“I am a true independent and have consistently said that I have no plans to align with either party,” Osborn said in a statement.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“I have never spoken to Chuck Schumer and he will be in for a rude awakening if he thinks I am taking orders from him or anyone in DC. My opponent Deb Fischer does whatever Mitch McConnell tells her. This is it. “We need an independent to stand up to the party bosses and stop playing politics so we can finally secure the border, pass a farm bill and serve the country instead of representing special interests,” he added.

While each of the four independents currently in the U.S. Senate caucuses with Democrats, giving the party its current majority, Osborn has reiterated that he would not caucus with either party.

But that has been complicated by Democrats' actions and statements signaling that they expect him to join them.

Aside from Schumer's suggestion that Nebraska is a likely opportunity for the party, a PAC linked to Democrat Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who previously ran for Congress, recently sent out a fundraising text, in who said, “Dan is an independent person.” will meet with the Democrats.”

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Osborn challenged Fischer's re-election bid and ran as an independent. (Reuters)

The campaign disputed the text's claim and the PAC reportedly said the message was “false” and not coordinated with Osborn's team.

The incidents also coincided with scrutiny of Osborn's financial support from outside groups.

Several outside groups have poured money into Nebraska as the Independent's challenge to Fischer gained momentum. Some of them have ties to the Democrats and a controversial dark money group linked to billionaire George Soros.

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Hungarian-born US investor and Democratic donor George Soros (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

One of Osborn's top fundraising groups is Retire Career Politicians, which received $800,000 in just a few months from the controversial dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund famously keeps the identities of its donors secret, but has received more than $75 million in grants from Soros' Open Society Foundations between 2016 and 2022, according to the Open Society Foundations website.

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A representative for Schumer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Fischer beat Osborn by just two points, 48% to 46%.

The poll surveyed 1,194 voters in Nebraska between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26. The error rate is +/- 3.2 percentage points.

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.