Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn is facing scrutiny over the timing of a Washington, D.C., fundraiser held the night before he publicly vowed never to accept money from artificial-intelligence companies.
At a September 24 press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, Osborn, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, said: “Pete Ricketts takes MASSIVE donations from AI companies. I don’t and never will.” He also accused Ricketts of accepting “massive donations from AI donors like Anthropic’s super PAC,” while criticizing the AI industry as a threat to jobs and local communities. Osborn has since repeated a similar message in a campaign ad, saying both major parties have been bought by big-tech billionaires and adding, “But I’m an independent; they can’t buy me.”
According to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, Osborn attended a private D.C. fundraiser the evening of September 23 — the day before his public pledge — that was co-hosted by a registered lobbyist for Anthropic, the AI company he had singled out by name.
The report identifies the fundraiser’s host committee as including Amy Tejral, a partner at Avenue Solutions who lobbies Congress on Anthropic’s behalf on issues related to AI safety, development and use. The event’s ActBlue fundraising page reportedly offered attendees the chance to become an Osborn “champion” with contributions of up to $8,500.
The host committee also reportedly included Barry LaSala and Bill Ghent, who have lobbied Congress on behalf of the AI company DataRobot on issues including artificial intelligence and algorithm bias.
There is no evidence that Anthropic or DataRobot themselves have donated to Osborn’s campaign. The Free Beacon’s report centers on the presence of lobbyists tied to those companies among the fundraiser’s hosts, not direct corporate contributions.
The disclosure has drawn criticism from conservative commentators, who argue the timing undercuts Osborn’s claim of independence from industry influence. Osborn’s campaign has not offered a public response addressed in the available reporting.
The Nebraska Senate race pits Osborn, running as an independent, against Ricketts as the two head toward the 2026 midterm elections.
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