Democrat Immediately Promises to Drop Out After Winning Weird Primary |
Nebraska Democrat Sweeps to Victory in Weirdest Primary Ever
Cindy Burbank ran specifically to boost Nebraska independent candidate Dan Osborn.
The state Democratic Party favorite won Nebraska’s senatorial primary Tuesday evening—though she has no plans to make it to the general election.
Cindy Burbank actually campaigned on exiting the race. The retired pharmacy technician easily won over the state’s liberal voters Tuesday evening, securing 89.2 percent of the vote and every region of the state sans one rural county in a primary match-up against anti-abortion pastor Bill Forbes.
Forbes was accused of being a covert Republican, “planted” in the Democratic primary by Senator Pete Ricketts in order to give the incumbent an advantage come midterms.
While Burbank earned the state Democratic nomination, she was never the party’s favorite. Instead, knowing they would have little success on the ballot against an incumbent Republican, Democratic party leaders chose an unexpected third option: endorsing Dan Osborn, a mechanic and former labor union leader running as an independent.
“William Forbes is not running to serve Nebraskans. He is running to trick voters,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said in March. “The Nebraska Democratic Party made a deliberate, principled decision not to field a candidate in the U.S. Senate race.”
Ricketts has denied any association with Forbes.
Osborn’s odds in a match-up against Ricketts are surprisingly good, Democrat-aligned polls indicate. The lone question for Democrats heading into Tuesday’s primaries was how the party could avoid a three-way split between Ricketts, Osborn, and a candidate on their own ticket. Enter: Burbank.
“I don’t wanna split the ballot,” Burbank told The New York Times via text message after her win. “I have no expectations of being able to win in November.”
After the race, Burbank told the times that she was “kinda disappointed” by her overwhelming success Tuesday evening. The race was called just six minutes after polls closed, which Burbank joked had taken “all the fun out of it.”
In another message, asked if she hoped Ricketts would also drop out, Burbank wrote: “That would be such sweetness.”
Burbank was initially stripped from the ballot by the GOP secretary of state due to her unorthodox plan, but she sued the state and ultimately had her ballot access restored.
RNC Launches Sinister Plan as Trump Threatens to Send Troops to Polls
The Republican National Committee is escalating its attack on free and fair elections.
The Republican National Committee announced Tuesday that it has deployed poll watchers and election observers in at least 17 states for the midterm elections.
In a post on X, RNC Chairman Joe Gruters posted an audio clip where he said, “We’ve already deployed field staff and we’ve hired state directors and election integrity directors.”
The RNC is already on the ground, deploying staff in 17 states, registering voters, and aggressively fighting to win in November - and we will not stop until we do. pic.twitter.com/JST67wTFLa— Chairman Joe Gruters (@ChairmanGruters) May 12, 2026
The RNC is already on the ground, deploying staff in 17 states, registering voters, and aggressively fighting to win in November - and we will not stop until we do. pic.twitter.com/JST67wTFLa
Gruters didn’t name the states but said that the effort was part of the Republican Party’s plan to hold onto Congress for the 2026 midterm elections.
“We focus on the big picture. We focus on winning. We have a plan. We’re executing the plan,” Gruters said.
Meanwhile, speaking to the press Tuesday, President Trump said he’d “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections,” in response to a question on whether he’d deploy the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November.
Q: Would you send the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November?TRUMP: You know what? I'll do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections pic.twitter.com/pGsRtg9ZSY— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 12, 2026
Q: Would you send the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November?TRUMP: You know what? I'll do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections pic.twitter.com/pGsRtg9ZSY
It’s a disturbing thing for Trump to say, just two days after he called for an “Election Integrity Army.” In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that Republicans had one in 2024 “in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote” and attacked Democrats for forming their own elections task force led by former Attorney General Eric Holder.
“We will be doing the same again in 2026, but it will be much bigger and stronger. All Americans should have their voices be heard by casting a vote. Be assured this Election will be fair! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump posted.
It appears that the RNC has heard Trump loud and clear, and is taking action. It’s on top of everything else the Republican Party is doing to meddle in the midterms and beyond, from mid-decade redistricting that disenfranchises Democrats and Black Americans to spreading election-denial conspiracies from 2020. It has even installed election denialists in local governments and election boards across the country.
Deploying ICE agents or National Guard troops at the polls seems to be a ploy to frighten people of color from voting, and is unprecedented. It appears that the midterms are shaping up to be a tense battle in more ways than one.
Republicans Scramble After Trump Says He Doesn’t Think About Americans
The president said he didn’t care about Americans’ finances. Republicans in Congress don’t want to talk about it.
Republicans are scrambling to either justify or ignore President Trump’s shocking Tuesday admission that he doesn’t care “even a little bit” about the financial struggles of American citizens.
Journalist Pablo Manríquez asked multiple GOP senators about the president’s comments about 90 minutes after he said them—plenty of time for members of Congress to react.
“What do you think of Donald Trump saying he doesn’t think about the finances or the financial situation of the American people?” Manríquez asked Senator Cynthia Lummis.
“Did he say that? I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care,” she replied with a laugh, claiming that the president didn’t mean something he doubled down on publicly.
Republicans already being pressed on Trump’s comments:PabloReports: What do you make of Trump saying that he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Lummis: Did he say that? I don’t have a comment because I think he actually does care. pic.twitter.com/BzptOHbOc9— Acyn (@Acyn) May 12, 2026
Republicans already being pressed on Trump’s comments:PabloReports: What do you make of Trump saying that he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Lummis: Did he say that? I don’t have a comment because I think he actually does care. pic.twitter.com/BzptOHbOc9
Senator Roger Marshall, also smiling, refused to answer as well, claiming he didn’t know the “context” of the comment. And Senator Susan Collins stated she didn’t see the president’s comment at........