Nebraska governor appoints predecessor Pete Ricketts to vacated Senate seat

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed his predecessor, Pete Ricketts, to the vacated Senate seat.
• Ben Sasse vacated the seat earlier this month to serve as president of the University of Florida.
• Ricketts was the expected successor to Sasse after his significant financial support to Pillen’s gubernatorial primary campaign.

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) was appointed by the current state governor, Jim Pillen, to the Senate seat vacated by Ben Sasse.

Sasse held the Senate seat from 2015 until earlier this month when he officially resigned to serve as president of the University of Florida.

Sasse had been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump. He was one of the seven Republicans who voted to impeach Trump a second time over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The former senator also criticized his colleagues in his farewell remarks, accusing them of “performative yelling” and only being honest when cameras are not present.

Ricketts was the expected successor to Sasse, following his significant financial support to Pillen’s gubernatorial primary campaign against Trump-endorsed Charles Herbster.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also told CNN back in October that he has talked to Ricketts and hoped “that he will end up in the Senate.”

Other applicants to the vacated Senate seat reportedly included Brett Lindstrom (R), who finished third place in last year’s gubernatorial primary; and Ann Ashford (D), a former U.S. House candidate and widow of former Rep. Brad Ashford (D).

Following Thursday’s announcement, Ricketts expressed his gratitude “for this unexpected opportunity to be able to continue to serve the people of Nebraska.”

Ricketts was the last Republican to lose a statewide election in Nebraska.

He lost to Sen. Ben Nelson (D) in 2006 by about 30 percentage points. He was then elected governor in 2014 and re-elected in 2018.

It will be up to the voters to decide if Ricketts retains his Senate seat in the 2024 elections.

Source: Axios