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.