支持丹·奥斯本竞选美国参议员的徽章和汽车贴纸于2026年9月3日在内布拉斯加州北普拉特的帕尔斯啤酒公司的一个竞选桌上摆放着。现年51岁的奥斯本是一名海军退伍军人，以独立候选人身份参选。
Pins and bumper stickers supporting Dan Osborn's candidacy for U.S. Senate sit on a campaign table on Sept. 3, 2026 at Pals Brewing Company in North Platte, Neb. Osborn, a 51-year-old Navy veteran, is running as an independent.
奥斯汀·约翰逊/法新社通过盖蒂图片社 内布拉斯加州伯韦尔——摩根牧场坐落在起伏的山丘沙地（美国最大的沙丘地貌）之中，这是一座占地1.5万英亩、由家族经营的牧场，养育着1000头母牛和数千头后代。
Austin Johnson/AFP via Getty Images BURWELL, NEBRASKA – Tucked in the rolling Sandhills, the largest sand dune formation in America, sits Morgan Ranch, a 15,000-acre, family-run operation home to 1,000 cows and thousands of offspring.
“有许多张嘴要喂饱——既有动物，也有两条腿的人，”丹·摩根笑着说。他的牧场拥有美国最大的私人和牛群之一。
"There's a lot of mouths to feed — both animals and two-legged," laughed Dan Morgan. His ranch has one of the largest privately-owned Wagyu herds in the U.S.
他说，他的工作让他得以亲眼见识他所谓的特朗普总统政策的“不确定性”。
He said his job has given him a front row seat to what he calls the "uncertainty" of President Trump's policies.
“培育一块肉需要我三年时间，”摩根说。“那么，看看过去两年的变化：成本、关税、报复性关税，因为我们一半的业务是出口——这简直是地狱，”他说。
"To raise a piece of meat takes me three years," Morgan said. "Well, look at the changes in the past two years: costs, tariffs, reciprocal tariffs because half of our business is export — it's just hell," he said.
他是一名民主党人——用他自己的话说，是在一片红色海洋中的一个小蓝点，在一个两年前特朗普总统占绝对优势的县和州里。
He's a Democrat — a self-described small blue dot in a sea of red, in a county and state that President Trump dominated two years ago.
内布拉斯加州没有民主党人竞选参议员，但摩根对独立候选人丹·奥斯本感到兴奋。
There's no Democrat running for the Senate in Nebraska, but Morgan is excited by independent candidate Dan Osborn.
“奥斯本提出了必须由某人代表工薪家庭的观点，”摩根说。“而他能够有效地做到这一点。”奥斯本是在特朗普总统轻松获胜的各州（包括爱达荷州、南达科他州和蒙大拿州）竞选参议员的四名独立候选人之一。在总统支持率不断下滑以及公众对生活成本负担能力感到沮丧的推动下，独立候选人认为他们向选民提出了一个能赢得胜利的论点。
"Osborn makes the case that somebody needs to represent the working family," Morgan said. "And he can effectively do that." Osborn is one of four independents running for Senate in states President Trump won handily, including Idaho, South Dakota and Montana. Buoyed by the president's sinking approval ratings and public frustration over affordability, independent candidates argue they bring a winning case to voters.
随着民主党寻求重新夺回对国会的控制权，一些民主党人希望这一论点能引起选民的共鸣，他们押注这些候选人能够帮助在民主党自身品牌受损的地区推翻共和党人。
It is an argument that some Democrats hope will resonate with voters as the party looks to retake control of Congress, betting that these candidates can help topple Republicans in parts of the country where their own brand is hurting. "I'm a partisan Democrat.
“我是一名坚定的民主党人。我相信民主党。我也相信建立联盟，这样我们才能赢得选举，进而为民众办事，”内布拉斯加州民主党主席简·克利布说。“如果这意味着在我们的一些州要与独立人士建立联盟，那这正是我们需要做的。”但尽管这些独立人士在政治理念上普遍一致，认为两党制有毒且导致了立法僵局，他们在各自的竞选中面临的挑战却截然不同，这很大程度上是因为民主党决定扮演的角色。
I believe in the Democratic Party. I also believe in building coalitions so we can win elections and then do the work of the people," said Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party. "And if that means creating coalitions with independents in some of our states, then that's exactly what we need to do." But while these independents are generally unified in their political philosophy that the two-party system is toxic and has led to legislative intransigence, the challenges they face in their respective races are different, in large part because of the role the Democratic Party has decided to play.
蒙大拿州“搅局者”指控满天飞 在蒙大拿州竞选联邦参议员的前“绿色贝雷帽”特种部队队员塞思·博德纳表示，他接触的选民对惯常政治手法深恶痛绝——而他作为一名独立人士提供了一个可行的替代选择。
'Spoiler' accusations abound in Montana Seth Bodnar, a former Green Beret running for Senate in Montana said voters he talks to are fed up with politics as usual — and that he offers a viable alternative as an independent.
“当我去华盛顿特区时，我不会穿上印有‘R’的红色球衣，也不会穿上印有‘D’的蓝色球衣。我将穿上印有‘M’的球衣，为蒙大拿州工作，”博德纳在蒙大拿大学校友返校游行现场接受采访时表示，他曾担任该大学校长。
"When I go to Washington, D.C., I'm not going to put on a red jersey with an 'R' or a blue jersey with a 'D.' I'm going to have a jersey with an 'M' on it, and I'm going to work for Montana," Bodnar said in an interview from the homecoming parade at the University of Montana, where he used to be president.
与奥斯本一样，博德纳表示如果当选，他不会参加任何一个党的党团会议。目前参议院中的两名独立人士——佛蒙特州的伯尼·桑德斯和缅因州的安格斯·金——均参加民主党党团会议。
Like Osborn, Bodnar said if elected, he won't caucus with either party. The current two independents in the Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, both caucus with Democrats.
他的竞选逻辑是：在势均力敌的参议院中，一名愿意与任何一方合作、却不受任何一方束缚的独立人士，实际上掌握着重要力量。
His theory of the case is that in a closely-divided Senate, an independent willing to work with either party — but beholden to neither — actually holds significant strength.
蒙大拿州联邦参议员独立候选人塞思·博德纳于8月7日在蒙大拿州比林斯市黄石县法院外向支持者和媒体发表讲话。
Seth Bodnar, an independent candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Montana, speaks to supporters and the press outside the Yellowstone County Courthouse, Aug. 7, in Billings, Mont.
Mathew Brown/AP “我认为，一个独立人士或多位能够合作的独立人士拥有真正的力量，即使是与那些可能不会脱离自己党团、但组成独立思考派系的人合作，也能推动这个国家迫切需要的常识性解决方案，”博德纳说。
Mathew Brown/AP "I think there is real power in an independent or multiple independents that can work together, even with people who maybe don't leave their caucus but form an independent-minded bloc, that can move forward common sense solutions that this country so desperately needs," Bodnar said.
这场竞选因民主党内部的挫败感而备受关注——要么是对博德纳不以民主党人身份参选感到不满，要么是对民主党提名人阿拉尼·班克黑德不退出竞选、为博德纳铺平道路感到不满。
The race has been marked by frustration among Democrats— at either Bodnar for not running as a Democrat himself, or at the Democratic nominee, Alani Bankhead, for not dropping out and creating a glide path for Bodnar.
“如果博德纳以民主党人身份参选，他将在这次选举中领先，”前民主党州长布赖恩·施韦策说。
"Had Bodnar run as a Democrat, he'd be leading in this election," said former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
“归根结底，将会有很多人照镜子时说：‘哦，我的天，如果我们只是让一名民主党人参选而没有独立人士，我们就会赢得这次选举，’”施韦策说。
"At the end of the day, there will be a lot of people that look in the mirror and say, 'Oh, my God, if we would have just run a Democrat without an independent, we would have won this election,'" Schweitzer said.
许多蒙大拿州知名民主党人——如前参议员乔恩·特斯特、前州长史蒂夫·布洛克——已背书博德纳，导致支持本党提名人的民主党人与支持独立人士的民主党人之间出现分裂。
Many prominent Montana Democrats — like former Sen. Jon Tester former Gov. Steve Bullock— have endorsed Bodnar, setting up a divide between Democrats supporting their own party's nominee and those supporting the independent.
“这在州党内部真的非常激烈，且颇为痛苦，”蒙大拿大学政治学教授罗布·索尔丁说。
"It's just been really, really contentious and quite a bitter thing within the state party," said Rob Saldin, political science professor at the University of Montana.
索尔丁表示，与爱达荷州等共和党根基深厚的州不同，蒙大拿州民主党人并没有那么“挫败”，他们将这次选举视为在该州重塑品牌的机会。
Saldin said unlike states like Idaho, which has deep Republican entrenchment, Montana Democrats aren't as "beat down" and look at the election as a chance to rebuild the brand in the state.
他表示：“他们需要这样一个人，在未来的很多年里，能够帮助为州民主党筹集资金、协助立法机构的底层候选人、成为该党在该州的门面。而当你有一个喊出‘两边都该遭殃’的独立候选人时，这个人就不会是那个能为该党在基层做这种工作的人。”曾有人试图让班克赫德在8月的截止日期前退出竞选。班克赫德表示，她和她的家人受到了骚扰。她还表示，“戴着白手套的政客们”在暗中试图告诉她退出竞选。
"They want somebody who, for years into the future, is going to be able to help bring money into the state Democratic Party, to help down-ballot candidates for the legislature, to be the face of the party in the state," he said. "And when you've got an independent candidate who's saying, 'a pox on both your houses,' this is not the guy who's going to be able to do that work in the trenches for the party." There was an effort to get Bankhead to exit the race before the August deadline. Bankhead said she and her family were harassed. She also said "white gloved politicians" were subtly trying to tell her to drop out of the race.
蒙大拿州参议员民主党候选人阿拉尼·班克赫德被拍到于2026年8月10日——即选票可以更改的最后一天——在蒙大拿州东海勒拿为一场集会做准备。班克赫德证实她不会退出竞选。克莱顿·墨菲/蒙大拿公共广播电台她表示：“他们非常有礼貌。他们没有要求我退出，但那是暗示性的——比如，‘嗯，目标是什么，你以后想要什么样的工作？’”
Alani Bankhead, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Montana, is seen preparing for a rally in East Helena, Mont. on Aug. 10, 2026 — the last day that ballots could be changed. Bankhead verified she was not dropping out of the race. Clayton Murphy/Montana Public Radio "They were very polite. They didn't ask me to drop out, but it was subtle — like, 'Well, what's the goal and what kind of job do you want down the road?'" she said, adding she heard from a sitting senator, sitting governor and former cabinet official.
她并补充说，她听取了一位现任参议员、一位现任州长和一位前内阁官员的意见。“没有来自[民主党全国委员会]的人直接说‘退出’，但这绝对是一种暗示。”班克赫德在接受蒙大拿公共广播公司采访时声称，如果她退出竞选，她将获得一份民主党全国委员会的工作。民主党全国委员会对此予以否认。
"Nobody from the [Democratic National Committee] was like, 'drop out' but that was certainly the nudge." Bankhead claimed in an interview with Montana PBS that she was offered a DNC job if she dropped out of the race. The DNC denies this.
班克赫德表示，如果民主党人想要支持独立人士——有更好的方法来做到这一点。
Bankhead said if Democrats want to support independents — there's a better way to do it. "Nebraska was very transparent, right?
“内布拉斯加州非常透明，对吧？民主党提名人表示，如果人们投票支持独立人士，他们将让位。这非常透明——这很好。”抵御内布拉斯加州的“民主党人丹”标签内布拉斯加州民主党主席兼民主党全国委员会副主席克利卜表示，内布拉斯加州民主党人对于明确其支持选票上独立人士意图的做法有着非常清醒的认识。
The Democratic nominee said they would step aside in favor of the independent if the people voted for them. And that's very transparent — that's great." Fending off 'Democrat Dan' label in Nebraska Kleeb, the Nebraska Democratic Party chair and a DNC vice chair, said Nebraska Democrats were very conscious about being transparent regarding their intentions to support the independent on the ticket.
“我们对选民非常诚实，”克利布说。“我认为如果民主党要这么做，就必须这样做——必须对选民诚实，解释策略，并确保民主党人支持这一策略。”她说，民主党对奥斯本寄予厚望，这位机械师因在2021年领导凯洛格工厂罢工而踏入政坛，两年前他在与现任共和党参议员德布·费舍尔的较量中仅以七个百分点之差落败，令人刮目相看。
"We were very honest with voters," said Kleeb. "And I think if you're going to do this as a Democratic Party, that's what you have to do — you have to be honest with voters, explain the strategy and make sure that Democrats support that." She said Democrats had high hopes for Osborn, a mechanic who got his start in politics leading a strike at the Kellogg's plant in 2021, and raised eyebrows two years ago when he came within seven points of incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer.
民主党决定支持奥斯本，导致该党在初选中派出一名候选人，并明确表示她将退选以给奥斯本让路。随后爆发了一场诉讼，试图迫使该党替换那位赢得初选后退选的候选人。
The choice for Democrats to support Osborn led to the party running someone in the primary with the stated intention of having her drop out to clear the path for Osborn. There was then a lawsuit attempting to force the party to replace that winning primary candidate who dropped out.
2024年9月3日，内布拉斯加州独立参议员候选人丹·奥斯本在阿拉帕霍的李十字路口咖啡馆举行市政厅会议后，与咖啡馆联合所有者马兰达·李交谈。
Dan Osborn, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from Nebraska, speaks with Maranda Lee, co-owner of Lee's Crossroads Cafe, at the cafe after a town hall meeting Sept. 3, in Arapahoe, Neb.
克利布表示，支持奥斯本的决定是长期目标的一部分，其中包括修复民主党品牌在内布拉斯加这样一个更红的州所受的损害。
Kleeb said the decision to back Osborn is part of a long-term goal, which includes repairing the damage to the Democratic brand in a redder state like Nebraska.
“人们反感我们的品牌是对的——这是个问题。我们正在努力解决，”克利布说，并补充道，总会有时刻，内布拉斯加会建立起自己的民主党基本盘，从而在全州范围内具备竞争力。
"It's right that people have pushed back on our brand – it's a problem. We are working on it," Kleeb said, adding there will be a time when Nebraska builds up its Democratic base so it's competitive statewide.
与此同时，克利布等民主党人希望奥斯本能帮助该党阻止共和党夺取参议院多数席位。
In the meantime, Democrats like Kleeb are hoping Osborn can help the party deny Republicans a majority in the Senate.
奥斯本正在对全州93个县进行巡回走访。他的市政厅会议带有鲜明的民粹主义色彩，向选民抨击金钱政治。
Osborn has been crisscrossing the state on a 93-county tour. His town halls have a distinctly populist pitch to voters denouncing money in politics.
“我们正处于国家的一个转折点，我们必须为自己——为工人、为人民——夺回国家，”他在泰勒对约30名听众说。“因为掌权者——金钱利益集团——已经控制了一切。”在一天内辗转五个县的行程间隙，奥斯本在接受采访时表示，他不仅是在对抗现任共和党参议员皮特·里基茨。
"We are at a turning point in our country where we have to take it back for ourselves – for the workers, for the people," he said to a group of 30 in Taylor. "Because the powers that be — the money interests — have taken control." In between stops in five counties on one day, Osborn said in an interview he's not only running against incumbent GOP. Sen Pete Ricketts.
“我在与整个建制派对抗，他们深陷这个体制中，而这个体制的运作方式完全就是为了让他们受益，”他说。“我代表的是一个将从中捣乱的力量。”随着奥斯本在全州奔走，里基茨一直在努力说服选民，这位无党派人士实际上是一名民主党人。
"I'm running against the entire establishment that is stuck in this system that's working exactly the way it's supposed to work for them," he said. "I represent something that's going to throw a wrench in." As Osborn travels the state, Ricketts has been working to convince constituents that the independent is actually a Democrat.
“丹是个民主党人。开放边境、收缴我们的枪支、更高的税收，这可不好玩——投票给奥斯本你就会看到，民主党人将掌控华盛顿，”里基茨竞选团队的一则电台广告唱道。在他们的辩论中，里基茨称奥斯本为“民主党人丹”的次数如此之多，以至于这位无党派人士建议他们应该搬上第三个讲台。
"Dan's a Democrat. Open borders, take our guns, higher taxes, that's no fun — vote for Osborn and you'll see, the Democrats will run D.C.," croons a radio ad from the Ricketts campaign. In their debate Ricketts called Osborn "Democrat Dan" so many times the independent suggested they should bring out a third podium.
这张2010年的照片显示了内布拉斯加州中北部的沙山地区。竞选美国参议员的无党派候选人丹·奥斯本最近在沙山地区举行了一系列见面会和市民大会，试图建立一个同时包含共和党人和民主党人的广泛联盟。
This 2010 photo shows the Sandhills in north central Nebraska. Independent candidate Dan Osborn, who's running for U.S. Senate, recently held a series of meet and greets and town halls in the Sandhills, trying to form a broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats alike.
美联社图片（摄影：纳蒂·哈尼克）卢普县的终身共和党选民苏·麦克尼尔表示，她不喜欢这个绰号。
Nati Harnik/AP Sue McNeil, a lifelong Republican voter in Loup County, said she doesn't like the nickname.
“我认为他们只是在利用那个‘民主党人丹’来吓唬人，因为内布拉斯加州是一个共和党州，我觉得很多人对支持民主党有点紧张，”她说。“但丹·奥斯本不是民主党人——他是一个无党派人士。”她支持奥斯本，并列举了对特朗普政府和共和党控制的国会的不满。
"I think they're just using that 'Democrat Dan' to scare people, because Nebraska is a Republican state and I feel like a lot of people are a little nervous about supporting a Democrat," she said. "But Dan Osborn is not a Democrat — he's an independent." She's supporting Osborn, citing frustration with the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress.
“我们为什么要对伊朗发动战争？我们的燃料价格飙升，”她说，并指出她最近花159美元才加满皮卡油箱。“我们怎么过日子？”但其他保守派选民表示，他们同意里基茨的观点。
"Why did we start the war with Iran? Our fuel prices have skyrocketed," she said, noting she recently paid $159 to fill up the pickup. "How are we supposed to make it?" But other conservative voters say they agree with Ricketts.
“奥斯本是个骗子，”来自安斯利的里奇·舍贝克说。“他不是真正的无党派人士——他是一名民主党人，与美国民主社会主义者组织有关联。”自称总是投票给共和党人的卡西·斯滕格尔对奥斯本很好奇，并来到泰德福德一家咖啡馆的见面会。他告诉奥斯本他在摇摆不定，并要求奥斯本说服他投票给自己。
"Osborn is a fraud," said Rich Sherbeck from Ansley. "He's not really an independent — he's a Democrat, DSA-aligned." Casey Stengel, who said he always votes Republican, was curious about Osborn and came to a meet and greet at a coffee shop in Thedford. He told Osborn he was on the fence and asked him to convince him to vote for him.
奥斯本随即开始探讨如何提振工人以及与两党搭建桥梁以带来真正的变革。奥斯本离开后，斯滕格尔叹了口气。
Osborn launched into a discussion about uplifting workers and building bridges with both parties to bring about real change. Once Osborn left, Stengel sighed.
“是的，这里面有好主意，”他说，“但我们都知道，单凭一个人是解决不了这个问题的。”
"Yes, there's good ideas," he said. "But we all know one man ain't going to go fix the deal."