Arkansas – “This is both shocking but not surprising. When leftists campaign in conservative states, they pretend to be moderates–but sometimes they slip up and show their real values,” Sen. Tom Cotton said on X Sept. 24, reacting to newly released footage involving Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn.
Cotton was responding to a post that shared a recording in which Osborn appears to discuss how he would approach issues involving LGBTQ rights and immigration if elected to the U.S. Senate. In the recording, Osborn is heard saying he could “be the voice for LGBTQ and immigration and all of these issues,” before adding that doing so could cost him the election. He then said that after winning, he would serve as senator for six years and “everybody else can f-off.”
The recording, released publicly this week, dates to May 25, according to reports citing the people who attended the South Omaha town hall where the conversation occurred. Townhall reported that the discussion took place after the event and involved a transgender supporter as well as a mother and daughter who had brought a petition concerning protections for girls’ sports.
The newly surfaced footage has drawn renewed attention to Osborn’s campaign because he has presented himself as an independent candidate rather than a Democrat or Republican. Roll Call reported Sept. 24 that Osborn has emphasized his position outside the two-party system and has said he would not caucus with either major party if elected.
Osborn is challenging Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in Nebraska’s Nov. 3 Senate election. There is no Democratic candidate on the general-election ballot, making Osborn’s independent campaign a major focus of the race. CBS News previously identified Nebraska as one of the Senate contests receiving significant national attention during the 2026 midterms.
The latest recording is not the first private recording involving Osborn to become a campaign issue this month.
On Sept. 16, the Omaha World-Herald reported on another recording in which Osborn criticized some supporters of President Donald Trump in rural Nebraska. In that conversation, he referred to a hypothetical Trump supporter in Red Cloud and said Trump had convinced people they were on the “winning team.” He also said those voters’ lives probably “suck” because of their circumstances.
Osborn later addressed that recording during an appearance on CNN. When asked whether the person in the audio was him, he said, “It sure sounds like me.” He said he did not remember the context of the conversation, described the comments as out of character and apologized to people who were offended.
The earlier recording also became a point of criticism from Ricketts, who told KETV that he had traveled throughout Nebraska and argued that the people Osborn was discussing were hardworking residents who needed a senator who would represent them.
Osborn’s campaign has continued to emphasize his independent identity. In an interview reported by Roll Call on Sept. 24, he described himself as part of a group of independent candidates running outside what he called the “corrupt two-party system.”
The candidate has also previously acknowledged that he agrees with Democrats on some major policy questions while maintaining that he is not controlled by either party. The latest controversy, however, centers on whether his private comments about LGBTQ issues and immigration are consistent with the image he has presented to Nebraska voters.
The newly released footage has been promoted by Republican-aligned groups as evidence that Osborn’s private views are different from the positions he emphasizes while campaigning. The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, described the recording as evidence that Osborn would govern from the left if elected. Those are political characterizations of the recording rather than independent findings about Osborn’s future conduct.
Cotton’s Sept. 24 reaction focused on that contrast, arguing that candidates in conservative states sometimes present themselves as moderates during campaigns before revealing different priorities.
The controversy comes as Osborn and Ricketts continue campaigning for the Senate seat. Their race has already featured debates over immigration, energy, data centers and the role of independent candidates in a state where Republicans have traditionally been dominant. The Nebraska Examiner previously reported that Osborn entered the race as a registered nonpartisan candidate and that the contest was expected to receive significant attention during the 2026 election cycle.
With the latest recording now circulating nationally, Osborn’s comments about LGBTQ issues and immigration have become another major point of scrutiny in the Nebraska Senate race, while Cotton and other Republicans use the footage to question whether Osborn’s public campaign message matches what he has said in private.