Nebraska U-S Senator Pete Ricketts made it official Wednesday, launching his campaign to hold onto the seat he was appointed to fill by his successor as governor in January.
Jim Pillen tabbed Ricketts when Ben Sasse resigned to become president of the University of Florida, but the appointment lasts only until next year’s election when the final 2 years of Sasse’s term will be on the ballot.
Ricketts began his campaign in the morning in North Platte, then made stops in Kearney Norfolk, and Omaha later in the day. He made the same points in all 4 cities – starting with the importance of bringing Nebraska-like values to Washington, DC.
In Norfolk, Ricketts said his biggest obstacle for the election is balancing his time between campaigning and his role in the Senate – adding that he’s “going to be working hard to get out and talk to people” to stay in touch with their concerns and bringing solutions to Washington.
This is his second run for the Senate. He was a little-known multi-millionaire executive at TD Ameritrade, the online brokerage begun by his billionaire father when he beat out a crowded field to win the Republican nomination in 2006.
He was handily defeated in November by incumbent Democrat Ben Nelson, but honed his campaign skills and profile to the point that he was easily elected governor in 2014 and reelected in 2018.