Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Shane Osborn
Shane Osborn was a 2014 Republican Party candidate who sought election to the U.S. Senate representing Nebraska.[1] Osborn was defeated by Ben Sasse in the Republican primary on May 13, 2014.
Biography
Osborn holds a bachelor's in mathematics and statistics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While he was a Navy pilot in 2001, Osborn's plane was struck by a Chinese fighter plane. Osborn successfully landed the plane and he and his crew members were held hostage by the Chinese military for 12 days.[2]
Issues
2014
Military heroism
In April 2001, Osborn attracted attention as a heroic military figure, as he, a U.S. Navy pilot, took control of a highly damaged plane after a collision with a Chinese fighter plane. Osborn saved the lives of himself and his 23 crew members, and made an emergency landing in China. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross for his flying ability. However, some veterans took issue with Osborn's decision to make the emergency landing, saying that he gave up valuable intelligence information to the Chinese. Moreover, Osborn used his military experience as a central theme for his Senate campaign, and many veterans accussed him of exploiting his own military expertise.[3]
False Memo
After receiving criticism for his emergency landing as a U.S. Navy pilot, Osborn began circulating what appeared to be an official Navy memo approving of his actions. However, the Navy could not authenticate the memo, and it was discovered that the memo was written by a Navy commander and friend of Osborn's who worked at the Pentagon. While the letter was written by a commander in the Navy, it did not have the authorization of the Navy as a whole. The author of the memo stated, "We didn't do anything wrong. But we did it to sort of shortcut the process."[4]
Elections
2014
Osborn ran for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska in 2014. Osborn ran for the seat held by Mike Johanns. Johanns did not seek re-election in 2014. Osborn sought the Republican nomination in the primary on May 13, 2014, but lost to Ben Sasse.[1]
In October 2013, a poll conducted by Osborn’s campaign showed Osborn leading his competitors by a wide margin. The poll showed Osborn receiving 39 percent of the vote. His competitors, Sid Dinsdale, Ben Sasse and Bart McLeay, remained in single digits.[5] Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies stated that Osborn’s support came from Republicans, Tea Party supporters and senior citizens. The poll questioned 400 likely Republican voters.[5]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ben Sasse |
49.3% | 110,802 | ||
| Sid Dinsdale | 22.5% | 50,494 | ||
| Shane Osborn | 21.1% | 47,338 | ||
| Bart McLeay | 5.7% | 12,840 | ||
| Clifton Johnson | 1.5% | 3,310 | ||
| Total Votes | 224,784 | |||
| Source: Nebraska Secretary of State |
||||
Media
In this campaign ad, Osborn claimed that he, unlike his opponents in the primary, proved that he would follow through with his promises. While he was State Treasurer, Osborn says, he cut his office's budget and helped find employment for veterans.[6]
| Shane Osborn's campaign ad |
Club for Growth Action came out with an ad criticizing Osborn for "false attacks" against his primary opponent, Ben Sasse, and for his record as Treasurer.[7]
|
The 60 Plus Association released an ad on May 2, 2014, in which veterans criticized Osborn for having a friend write a false memo, which Osborn claimed was an official Navy document. [8]
|
Endorsements
The following endorsements were made in the Nebraska Republican primary:
| Nebraska Senate Republican Contested Primary | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement/Contribution | Shane Osborn | Ben Sasse | Bart McLeay | Sid Dinsdale | Clifton Johnson | ||
| Senate Conservatives Fund | October 22, 2013 | ||||||
| Club for Growth | November 7, 2013 | ||||||
| FreedomWorks** | March 28, 2014 | ||||||
| Dick Armey | November 14, 2013 | ||||||
| Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) | November 21, 2013 | ||||||
| National Review | January 10, 2014 | ||||||
| Erick Erickson | January 17, 2014 | ||||||
| Mark Levin | January 17, 2014 | ||||||
| Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) | February 10, 2014 | ||||||
| Gun Owners for America | February 12, 2014 | ||||||
| Concerned Women for America | February 19, 2014 | ||||||
| Family Research Council | February 21, 2014 | ||||||
| Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) | March 4, 2014 | ||||||
| Phyllis Schlafly | March 4, 2014 | ||||||
| Sarah Palin | March 13, 2014 | ||||||
| Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund | April 17, 2014 | ||||||
| Ted Cruz | April 23, 2014 | ||||||
| Tea Party Express | May 06, 2014 | ||||||
- **FreedomWorks endorsed Shane Osborn in November 2013 and subsequently switched their endorsement from Osborn to Ben Sasse in March 2014.[9]
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Shane + Osborn + Nebraska + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Osborn is married with four children.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Journal Star, "Shane Osborn launches Senate campaign," accessed July 15, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shane Osborn, "Bio," accessed July 15, 2013
- ↑ Omaha, "Some in military challenge Shane Osborn's view of 2001 heroism," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ Omaha, "Friend of Shane Osborn, not Navy, issued memo that supports him," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 WatchDog.org, "Osborn poll: Osborn leads Senate race—big," accessed December 6, 2013
- ↑ YouTube, "Proven Conservative," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ YouTube, "Nebraska Way," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Veterans Blast Shane Osborn on TV in Senate Race," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ FreedomWorks, "FreedomWorks PAC Withdraws Osborn Support, Endorses Ben Sasse in Nebraska Senate Race," accessed March 28, 2014
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "FreedomWorks Splits With Other Tea Party Groups In Nebraska Senate Race," accessed November 11, 2013
- ↑ Watchdog.org, "FreedomWorks endorses Osborn for Senate," accessed November 13, 2013
