LINCOLN — Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer picked up the expected endorsement this week of her party’s presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.

The endorsement’s timing hints at an effort to shore up support from some of the Republican base after some recent polling indicated a closer-than-expected contest.

Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he supports Fischer in her re-election bid against Dan Osborn, an Omaha union leader and registered nonpartisan.

Trump said Fischer “is doing a fantastic job” in the Senate. Trump in his post also attacked Osborn as a “Bernie Sanders Democrat who does not stand for Nebraska values.”

“Deb Fischer has my Complete and Total Endorsement — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.

Fischer embraced the endorsement online and tweeted that she looked forward to working with the former president on securing the border, lowering families’ costs and helping Nebraska agriculture.

She has said her opponent is a Democrat in sheep’s clothing, and her supporters have started trying to define Osborn negatively. She has the funding to do so.

Fischer, by the end of June, had raised $6.2 million and listed nearly $3 million in campaign cash on hand. Osborn had raised $1.6 million and showed $650,000 in cash on hand.

Osborn has avoided saying which presidential candidate he supports or which party he would caucus with if elected. He angered some leaders in the Nebraska Democratic Party for seeking their endorsement leading up to the primary election and then backing off after the primary.

In a pamphlet being distributed by Nebraska Democrats, the party is still encouraging its members to back Osborn to break the stranglehold the Nebraska Republican Party has over statewide and federal offices.

Nebraska Republicans hold a 2-to-1 registration advantage over Democrats. Osborn’s backers have said his bid is partly a proof of concept about whether party labels hold back candidates.

Osborn supporters have worked for months to clear the ballot of competing candidates, leaving him and Fischer in a race with no Democrat or third-party candidates.

Osborn campaign spokesman Dustin Wahl echoed Osborn’s previous statements, saying Fischer has “gone full Washington.” He has said she will “do anything to stay there” with corporate help.

“Nebraskans can’t trust Deb Fischer,” Wahl said, pointing to her criticism of candidate Trump in 2016. “She betrayed Donald Trump in 2016, and now she’s groveling for his support.”

Fischer called on Trump to resign in 2016 after the “Access Hollywood” tape was released. She re-endorsed him in October 2016 and again in 2020 against President Joe Biden. She has also endorsed him this year against Vice President Kamala Harris.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/fischer-gets-trump-endorsement-in-ra...