Nebraska Senate candidate Cindy Burbank secured the Democratic nomination in May. On Friday, she submitted a request to the office of Nebraska’s secretary of state to be taken off the ballot — but a legal challenge could ensue.
Burbank’s campaign website says she ran to ensure that Sen. Pete Ricketts, the incumbent Republican, could not prop up a “stooge” Democratic candidate in William Forbes, an anti-abortion pastor who voted for President Donald Trump. By announcing plans to drop out, Burbank hoped to clear a path for independent candidate Dan Osborn, who received the state Democratic party’s endorsement and has the best chance to beat Ricketts in November.
But even before she sent in her official request, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, a Republican, said he may move to keep Burbank on the ballot.
“I’m going to wait and see if she wins that primary,” Evnen said at an event after Burbank publicly stated she intended to drop out. “If she submits a withdrawal, then I’m going to ask, ‘Well, what is my obligation with respect to this now? Do I have to accept it?’ So I’ve submitted this question to the attorney general to see what happens.”
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A spokesperson for Evnen’s office confirmed to NOTUS on Friday that they have received Burbank’s request and will write to state Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office asking if they are required to honor it. Hilgers’ team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“But I will be back, and I’m not going to just sit on the sidelines either,” Burbank told Courier Nebraska on Friday. “I do want to thank everybody who supported me, voted for me, and cheered me on. And it was a great, fun adventure. It reinforced to me that I grew up in a wonderful state with wonderful people.”
Burbank jumped into the race to prevent Forbes from advancing in the Democratic primary, eventually securing nearly 90% of the vote in May. Since winning her primary, her campaign has been largely quiet, save for promoting nonpartisan House candidate Austin Ahlman.
Limited polling suggests that Ricketts still has an edge over Osborn ahead of November. The incumbent senator raked in over three times what Osborn raised last quarter.
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