The Nebraska Democratic Party denounced a Democratic candidate for Senate recently that they allege to be a “Republican Party plant,” CNN reported Monday, with the candidate being exposed for having supported President Donald Trump, opposed access to reproductive health care and attended a GOP-sponsored training event.
That candidate is William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor who filed to run for Senate as a Democrat earlier this month. The Nebraska Democratic Party has backed independent candidate Dan Osborn this election cycle, creating what CNN described as an “unusual dynamic” in which a lone Democratic Senate candidate could siphon votes from Osborn and potentially hand Republicans an easy victory.
Forbes spoke with CNN for its report Monday, in which he admitted that he had voted for Trump “in multiple elections” and had attended a GOP-backed leadership summit as recently as January. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb also provided CNN with screenshots from a now-deleted Facebook page that she said show Forbes attending anti-abortion events.
“William Forbes is not running to serve Nebraskans. He is running to trick voters,” said the Nebraska Democratic Party in a statement issued earlier this month. “Forbes wants to ban all access to abortion – an extreme position that makes life more dangerous for women and babies. Forbes is using the Democratic ballot line to deceive voters who deserve better."
Forbes denied being a GOP plant when pressed by CNN, and told the outlet that the reason he decided to run as a Democrat was because he “saw that there wasn’t any Democrat on the ticket.” He also defended having attended a GOP-backed training event.
“I’m trying to get information from everybody,” Forbes told CNN. “They want clones and I’m not a clone. I think for myself. I’m a free thinker.”
After digging through past remarks of Forbes, CNN found that the Democratic Senate candidate had attacked the “left-wing media” and “radical feminism” during sermons, and slammed former President Joe Biden as “dementia Joe.” Forbes also “grew frustrated” with CNN’s line of questioning, the outlet reported.
“You’ve asked me who I voted for three times,” Forbes told CNN.