Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen, left, announces Joe Kelly, right, as his running mate during a press conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday. Kelly was U.S. attorney for the District of Nebraska from 2018 to 2021.
Briefly: Ricketts, whose billionaire family owns the Chicago Cubs, has won two terms as governor. He has focused on taxes, regulations and government efficiency.
Briefly: Heineman became Nebraska’s longest-serving governor after moving up from lieutenant governor. A staunch conservative, he oversaw two major tax cut packages.
Briefly: Johanns put thousands of miles on his car campaigning for governor. A former Lincoln mayor, he went on to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and spent one term in the U.S. Senate.
Briefly: Nelson served two terms as governor and two in the U.S. Senate. As governor, he merged five state agencies and kept Nebraska from being the site of a low-level radioactive waste dump.
Briefly: Orr was Nebraska’s first woman elected governor. She oversaw the creation of business tax incentives and a push to increase university research. She has reemerged as a political force in recent years.
Briefly: Kerrey is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who led the state through a major farm crisis. He went on to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate. While governor, he dated actress Debra Winger.
Briefly: Thone, better known as “Charley,” spent eight years in Congress before being elected governor. He focused on education and economic development.
Briefly: Exon, a two-term governor and three-term U.S. senator, became the patriarch of the state Democratic Party. As governor, he was a fiscal conservative and an early proponent of ethanol.
Briefly: Tiemann, a reformer, took office in the midst of a state tax crisis. His solution — creating the state sales and income tax system — cost him a second term.
Briefly: Morrison, who served three 2-year terms as governor, was known as a tireless promoter of Nebraska. He pushed tourism and criminal justice reform.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen, left, announces Joe Kelly, right, as his running mate during a press conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday. Kelly was U.S. attorney for the District of Nebraska from 2018 to 2021.
