Are any of the candidates in Nebraska’s Senate race whom they claim to be?
In one of the most unusual contests in the country, that has become a central question ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Republicans and Democrats are accusing each other of subterfuge in a race that includes a high-profile independent.
At least one of the two candidates in the Democratic primary has no plans to become a senator. Cindy Burbank, a 62-year-old retired pharmacy technician, says she intends to drop out of the general election if she wins the nomination, to clear a path for Dan Osborn, the independent candidate backed by the state Democratic Party.
The other, William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor who says he has voted for President Trump, stands accused by Democratic leaders of being a G.O.P. “plant,” running to siphon Democratic votes away from Mr. Osborn in November to help Senator Pete Ricketts, a Republican, win re-election.
Republicans, meanwhile, argue that Mr. Osborn, who has received campaign contributions from national Democrats, is a Democrat in all but party affiliation. And they have suggested that a niche third-party candidate running under a marijuana legalization party banner is secretly a Democratic plant designed to eventually consolidate support behind Mr. Osborn. (Both the third-party hopeful and Mr. Forbes have denied being “plants.”)
Confused yet?