Campaigning Nebraska politician Dan Osborn visited Wayne State College as a speaker last week on Mar. 20. He is currently running against Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts to be one of Nebraska’s two U.S. Senators. In the Ramsey Theatre, Osborn addressed both students and members of the local community with a speech followed by a moderated question and answer session.
The event was co-hosted by campus organizations Legal Minds, the law club, and Pi Gamma Mu, the honors society for social and behavioral sciences.
The question and answer session was moderated by Faith King, a current student at WSC who is both the president of Legal Minds and the vice president of Pi Gamma Mu. Questions were accepted from the audience via a QR code, and were then posed to Osborn.
Through inviting political candidates to speak at WSC, students are offered an accessible opportunity to learn more about Nebraska politics and question campaigning politicians. This aids in lessening the gap between college students and their representatives.
The idea for the event itself was sparked when Legal Minds discussed Dan Osborn’s current campaign and decided they wanted to bring him to WSC.
“I reached out to the Dan Osborn campaign regarding a speaking engagement,” King said. “My vice-president helped me make arrangements for the venue and technical support.”
As a public state college, Wayne State College is a nonpartisan institution that welcomes candidates from various political ideologies to speak to students. They do not endorse or oppose any candidates, but provide support for student-led organizations wanting to invite politicians to talk to students on campus.
“The college is able to ensure equal opportunities for all politicians’ right to speak by encouraging clubs to pursue their endeavors,” King said.
Osborn is a registered independent, and he campaigns partially on the fact that he always has been, with the tagline “lifelong independent” on candidate flyers. His campaign platform contains policies and beliefs traditionally associated with both Republicans and Democrats. Osborn’s registered independent status is well-reflected within his campaigning views.
“I never bought into the idea that I had to choose a set of values,” Osborn said. “We’re all on the same team regardless of what letter is beside your name when you vote.”
The current makeup of the Senate is just 2% independent, with the rest of it made up 53% by registered Republicans and 45% by registered Democrats. That 2% is just two people: Bernie Sanders and Angus King. Both of these senators currently caucus with the Democrats, but Osborn has publicly said he would not caucus with either party. This would make him the only senator not able to serve on Senate committees if elected.
Osborn referenced the small portion of the Senate that is independent within his opening speech. Considering the lack of independent politicians in these statistics, Osborn said he would like to provide more independent representation for the state of Nebraska.
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Osborn said. “They don’t want a guy like me there, but I want to go there and stir the pot.”
With Osborn’s prepared speech lasting about 12 minutes, the event quickly moved into the more interactive portion of the evening. The questions ranged from his policy beliefs and the inclusion of working-class people, to why he chose to visit WSC and how much he would miss eating Runza if he wins the election and makes it to Washington DC.
At the conclusion of the formal event itself, there was time set aside for anyone who wanted to speak directly to Osborn to have the opportunity to meet him personally. Both college students and members of the local community lined up around the front of the stage to introduce themselves and further pose questions to Osborn.
“The reason that we bring different candidates to campus is so that no matter what background you come from, you have the ability to meet and hear the people that are representing your voice in our government,” King said. “As a student, our most powerful tool is education.”
