Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has made his pick to succeed U-S Senator Ben Sasse and has scheduled a news conference at the Capitol for the announcement Thursday morning at 8:00 MT.
The appointee will serve for the next 2 years with the final 2 years of Sasse’s term to be on the 2024 ballot. Sasse officially left office on Sunday to become President of the University of Florida.
Former Gov Pete Ricketts, Pillen’s biggest booster and donor in last year’s campaign, is seen as the betting favorite for the seat but 8 other individuals have also applied for consideration.
They include former State Senator Brett Lindstrom – who finished 3rd behind Pillen in last year’s primary, Pinnacle Bank Chairman Sid Dinsdale – who lost to Sasse in the 2014 primary, and Nebraska Chamber President Bryan Sloane – another former GOP candidate for governor but who recently re-registered as nonpartisan.
Among the other applicants are former longtime Nebraska Dept of Ag Director and Assistant USDA Secretary Greg Ibach – whose wife is a newly-elected state senator, unsuccessful GOP congressional candidate John Glen Weaver and Ann Ashford, a Democrat and the widow of former Congressman Brad Ashford who ran for his old seat.
The final Senate hopefuls come from the media. Melanie Standiford of Curtis is the former news director at KNOP-TV in North Platte and is developing a news website, while Tom Becka of Omaha is a registered nonpartisan and longtime radio and TV personality in the Omaha-area.