Republicans have averted a potential disaster in Nebraska, with NBC News predicting that Sen. Deb Fischer has won re-election to a third term.
Fischer faced a surprisingly competitive challenge from independent Dan Osborn, a mechanic and labor leader who portrayed her as a creature of Washington. But Fischer and her Republican allies worked to consolidate Republican voters in the ruby-red state, which former President Donald Trump is also expected to win.
Fischer’s victory gives Republicans 51 seats in the Senate, passing the threshold needed for control of the chamber, according to NBC News.
Nebraska plays a unique role in the presidential race because it awards an electoral vote to the candidate who wins each of the state’s three congressional districts. But it’s been nearly two decades since the state has elected a Democrat to the Senate, and Republicans can usually carry statewide races with ease.
As it became clear that Osborn was running a competitive campaign, late ad spending increased in the Senate race, including the filming of an ad in which Trump proclaimed his support for Fischer.
“Deb Fischer has been a supporter of mine from the beginning, and she has been tested,” Trump said directly into the camera. ‘She’s as strong as a rock. She’s all for the farmers. She wants the state of Nebraska to be taken care of.”
More than $40 million has been spent on ads in the race since Labor Day, according to ad tracking company AdImpact.
Fischer also spent the final stretch arguing that Osborn is a “Democrat in disguise,” referencing a Washington Examiner report on Osborn’s private praise of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Osborn recently told MSNBC that he would not work with either party if elected.
Fischer was elected to the Senate in 2012 after a resounding victory over Democratic former Senator Bob Kerrey, who had also served as governor. Fischer was also on his way to re-election in 2018.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
