LINCOLN — President Donald Trump endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts in a still-hypothetical midterm race against former labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan who has had some Democratic support.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said Ricketts has his “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.”

He announced the endorsement Thursday, hours after Osborn released a poll showing him statistically tied with Ricketts. People familiar with the Ricketts endorsement process said it had been in the works for weeks and that Trump decided on the timing.

“Pete is one of the strongest Senators in the Country on Border Security, whereas his potential Opponent, Dan Osborn, is a Radical Left Open Border Extremist, who will put our Country and Safety LAST.” Trump wrote.

Earlier Thursday, Osborn drew headlines statewide about the poll showing him within one percentage point of Ricketts. Osborn announced last week that he was exploring another run for the Senate, this time against Ricketts. Ricketts served two terms as governor before Gov. Jim Pillen.

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