When meat-packing giant Tyson closed a huge plant in Nebraska, a state already hit hard by Trump policies lost another $3 billion.
Video by Dan Lieberman and David McCaw
TRANSCRIPT
DAN LIEBERMAN, MORE PERFECT UNION: For decades, Nebraska has been a reliably red state — where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2-1. But like many things in 2026, it’s turned out to be a battleground.
FOX NEWS CLIP: The [Senate] race is now one to watch.
THE HILL PODCAST CLIP: Because of the polls, the state of Nebraska. Nebraska!
CNN NEWS CLIP: Nebraska, which has come on board for a pickup opportunity for independent candidate Dan Osborn — up 58 percent.
LIEBERMAN: Almost a year ago, Tyson announced it was closing one of its biggest plants in the country — in the central Nebraska town of Lexington, laying off half of the town’s workers.
MORE PERFECT UNION CLIP: The first thing you think is like, ‘I’m gonna lose my house.’ This plant was the one who gives life to this town.
LIEBERMAN: We learned it was all about maximizing profit.
BASEL MUSHARBASH, ANTITRUST LAWYER IN MORE PERFECT UNION CLIP: Those big four meatpackers work together to fix prices, fix wages, and control the market so they don’t have to face any real competition in the market.
LIEBERMAN, DRIVING THROUGH THE TYSON PLANT PARKING LOT: When we were here last year, this parking lot was full of cars, and now it’s completely empty. This entire plant is now a ghost town.
JUAN LAGUNA, FORMER NEBRASKA TYSON PLANT WORKER, TO LIEBERMAN: Tyson was everything for my family.
ALEX PINEDO, BAR OWNER, TO LIEBERMAN: What this town needs is work. We need to feed our families. We need to pay our bills.
DAN OSBORN, NEBRASKA SENATE CANDIDATE, FOX NEWS CLIP: Costs are extremely high. We’re trying not to sink here.
LIEBERMAN: DAN OSBORN is a Navy vet[eran] and mechanic, running as an independent in what was once considered a long shot against incumbent Pete Ricketts.
OSBORN, TO LIEBERMAN: I think this election is going to show that people are tired of getting sold out.
SEN. PETE RICKETTS (R-NE) KETV NEWS CLIP: People know where I stand. My opponent [DAN OSBORN] is just the opposite.
LIEBERMAN, TO DR. KEVIN SMITH, POLITICAL SCIENTIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA: How is this moment sort of maybe different?
SMITH: Yeah, I think the story in Nebraska is no different from a lot of similar states around us.
LIEBERMAN: With affordability and corporate power front and center in the midterms, I wanted to find out to what extent another once-predictable Senate race is up for grabs.
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