Dan Osborn's campaign crashed into a scandal that exposed the dark underbelly of Democrat fundraising.
The Nebraska Senate candidate built his brand on being a working-class independent who fights elites.
But Dan Osborn scrambled when Dana Chasin's name surfaced in one damning document.
Union boss cancels fundraiser after Epstein connection emerges
Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn abruptly canceled a Washington, D.C. fundraiser Tuesday after learning one of his co-hosts appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Dana Chasin — a Rockefeller heir and longtime Democrat operative who advised Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign — was set to co-host the event benefiting Osborn's campaign against GOP Senator Pete Ricketts.
Chasin's name appears in a March 2024 email sent to the Justice Department by attorney Jeanne Christensen, who represents an unnamed young woman.
The email alleges Chasin transported the woman on a private plane to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse where she was sexually abused by powerful men.
The document details allegations of abuse and mentions a second flight involving Chasin, though it doesn't make direct accusations against him personally.
Politico contacted the Osborn campaign Tuesday afternoon asking if they were aware of Chasin's connection to the Epstein files.
"This event has been cancelled," a campaign spokesperson replied immediately.
The campaign added that "anyone who hurt kids or engaged in other illegal activity needs to be arrested and prosecuted."
But the spokesperson refused to answer questions about what vetting was done of fundraiser co-hosts before the event was scheduled.
Osborn's elite donor problem exposes campaign hypocrisy
Federal Election Commission records show Chasin donated $3,300 to Osborn's failed 2024 Senate campaign against Republican Deb Fischer.
The Democratic operative has poured more than $2 million into Democrat campaigns since the 1990s, including recent donations totaling $82,600 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in January alone.
Chasin's resume reads like a who's who of establishment Democrats — advising Hillary Clinton, former Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, and former Senator Jon Tester of Montana.
The canceled fundraiser listed ticket prices ranging from $250 to $3,500 per person at a Washington event.
That's hardly the working-class, anti-establishment image Osborn cultivates in his campaign messaging.
Osborn told Politico his campaign already donated an amount equivalent to Chasin's contribution to a Nebraska nonprofit fighting child abuse and trafficking.
But the damage was done — Osborn's supposed populist brand took a direct hit from his association with a wealthy Democratic insider connected to the Epstein scandal.
The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Osborn has spent recent weeks posting on X about justice for Epstein's victims and railing against corrupt elites.
"There is a small, powerful group of ELITES who think they can do anything they want on this earth," Osborn posted Monday, one day before the fundraiser debacle. "They think they are deserving. They think they are exceptional."
He didn't mention he was scheduled to collect campaign cash from one of those exact elites the very next day.
Osborn ran in 2024 as an independent mechanic and union boss who refused to caucus with either party if elected.
He lost to Fischer by seven points but performed better than expected in deep-red Nebraska, earning 47% of the vote while refusing to take Democratic Party endorsements.
Now he's back for another Senate run in 2026, this time challenging Ricketts for a seat Republicans consider safe.
The Osborn campaign talks constantly about taking on the "country club of millionaires" in the Senate and fighting for working people.
But when the cameras were off, Osborn was perfectly willing to host elite Washington fundraisers with mega-donors who have spent decades bankrolling the Democrat establishment.
The vetting failure raises serious questions about campaign competence.
Chasin's connection to the Epstein files became public information when Justice Department documents were released — any basic background check should have caught this red flag.
Either Osborn's team didn't bother vetting their fundraiser co-hosts, or they knew about the Epstein connection and hoped nobody would notice.
Neither option inspires confidence in a candidate asking Nebraskans to send him to Washington to clean up corruption.
Osborn's "anti-elite" messaging rings hollow when his first instinct is heading to Washington to raise money from Democratic Party insiders with seven-figure donation histories.
This is exactly the kind of two-faced politics that drives voters crazy about career politicians.
Osborn wants to be seen as the blue-collar mechanic taking on the system while simultaneously working that system to fill his campaign coffers from the same elite donors he publicly condemns.
The canceled fundraiser exposed the uncomfortable truth — Osborn's independent image is just branding.
When it comes time to raise serious money for a competitive Senate race, even the "independent" mechanic ends up in a room with wealthy Democratic operatives connected to one of the most notorious sex trafficking scandals in American history.
Nebraskans deserve better than this kind of performative “independent” fraud.
Sources:
- Daniel Lippman, "Dan Osborn cancels fundraiser after co-host's Epstein link surfaces," Politico, February 10, 2026.
- "Senate Candidate Cancels Fundraiser Over Co-Host's Epstein Ties," National Today, February 2026.
- "Dan Osborn – Wikipedia," Wikipedia.
- "Billionaire sex offender Epstein gave heavily to Democrats," OpenSecrets, July 8, 2019.
- "Jeffrey Epstein donated to several Democrats throughout 1990s and early 2000s," ABC News, July 12, 2019.
