Republican Senator Pete Ricketts has secured his renomination in Nebraska’s primary, bringing him closer to completing a full six-year term in the Senate.
Ricketts, who took over for Ben Sasse in early 2023 and won a special election in 2024 to finish Sasse’s term, emerged victorious against four GOP challengers on Tuesday, according to reports.
As he heads into the midterm elections this fall, Ricketts is expected to face a competitive race. He’ll be up against independent candidate Dan Osborne, an industrial mechanic and military veteran, who previously posed a significant challenge to Republican Senator Deb Fischer during her 2024 reelection campaign.
The primary took place just under six months before the midterms. Republicans are focused on keeping their slim margins in both the House and Senate, while Democrats are aiming to leverage a potential “blue wave” to gain ground.
Osborne received support from the Nebraska Democratic Party for the general election, while the Democratic primary featured a contest between community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes for the party’s nomination. Both candidates entered the race at the last moment, leading some Nebraska Democrats to speculate that Forbes’s candidacy might have been intended to dilute Osborne’s votes and assist Ricketts.
Forbes has denied these accusations, while Burbank indicated that her entry was aimed at blocking Forbes in the November election.
Ricketts comes from a notable family; he’s the son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and is a part-owner of the Chicago Cubs.
A nonpartisan political analyst has rated Nebraska’s Senate election as leaning Republican, suggesting strong odds for Ricketts as he aims for a full term.
Having won the gubernatorial race in 2014 and been re-elected in 2018, Ricketts was appointed to the Senate shortly after concluding his tenure as governor.
Currently, Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, with a 53-47 split.
