Democrat Operatives Dishonestly Try To Boost ‘Independent’ Senate Candidate To Take Down Republican

Independent candidate Dan Osborn promotes himself as a centrist but has hired two veteran Democratic Party operatives to manage the treasuries for his campaign and a new political committee aimed at appealing to conservative voters in Nebraska.

Osborn, who describes himself on his campaign website as a “lifelong Independent,” launched a bid Tuesday to challenge Republican Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts, just months after losing to Republican Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer. Alongside his primary campaign committee, Osborn’s team established an “authorized committee” named Conservatives for Osborn, intended to support his campaign, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Brandon Philipczyk and James Vihstadt, who manage the treasuries of both the Osborn campaign and Conservatives for Osborn, have extensive experience in Democratic politics, the outlet reported. Philipczyk, the principal of Bison Strategies, worked as the director of operations for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign in Nevada and served as the national coordinated operations director for the Democratic National Committee until 2017.

Philipczyk also held positions with the Florida Democratic Party and participated in Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. Vihstadt, a delegate for the Nebraska Democratic Party, has consistently donated to Democratic candidates.