Nebraska U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn held a town hall event Saturday at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with California Democratic U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, and former Republican National Committee chair Marc Racicot. The event, described by Osborn’s campaign as “cross-partisan,” featured a panel discussion moderated by former Nebraska Libertarian Party chair Rachael Nelson.
The audience asked questions on topics including transgender athletes, government reform, gun control, and division in America. Osborn said he hopes to have discussions that bring people around ideas everyone can agree on. Walsh, who served one term as a Republican U.S. House member and ran against President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, became a Democrat in 2025. Racicot, who served as RNC chair in the early 2000s, has been critical of Trump since 2016. Khanna is considered a progressive Democrat.
The first question from the audience was whether Osborn would oppose a ballot measure that would constitutionally limit sports participation in public K-12 schools and colleges to teams of biologically male, female, or coed students. Osborn said the ballot measure is about “fear” that is meant to divide people. “I just really do truly think that this is all designed to be divisive,” Osborn said. “I’m not playing that because I believe, you know, in the Constitution of the United States, and I believe in the Declaration of Independence. When the words, they say, ‘life, liberty, pursuit of happiness,’ full stop.”
Khanna, who is considering a 2028 presidential bid, said he is tired of a “Democratic Party that has thrown the trans community under the bus.” “We need to stand up for the dignity of every person,” Khanna said. “Come on, give me a break. Have you ever been on a soccer field and seen the trans kid play? You think there’s some star athletes competing for the Olympics? This is the only thing they have for belonging.”
Nationally, Republicans have used transgender rights as a wedge issue against Democrats, specifically whether trans athletes should be allowed to participate in girls’ sports. Some Democrats running have tried to distance themselves from the issue or called it a distraction.
The Jeffrey Epstein files were brought up. Khanna said Osborn would “stand with survivors and stand for justice” because he would support Epstein Files Transparency Act II. Khanna helped push a House discharge petition alongside outgoing Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie that forced a vote on the U.S. House’s Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Epstein Files Transparency Act II hasn’t gotten a vote yet, but Massie said it is two signatures short of forcing a floor vote.
Ricketts and Osborn have attacked each other regarding the Epstein sex abuse controversy. Osborn accused Ricketts of “voting against” the release of the Epstein files – but Ricketts did vote with the rest of the state’s federal delegation to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Ricketts attacked Osborn over a canceled fundraiser with a longtime Democratic donor who was mentioned in an email in the Epstein files. The donor said “nothing pertaining to me in the March 2024 email” was true.
Other questions Saturday focused on regulating AI, reaching people disengaged from politics, and expanding the n
