America First, Working People Party candidates file to join Nebraska's November ballot

"This started with a pretty simple idea: Nebraska voters deserve another choice," America First Party Chairman John Cartier said in a press release. "Now we've got a recognized party and a serious group of candidates running for some of the biggest offices in the state. I'm proud of what we've built, and now it's time to earn people's support."

The Working People Party did not release a statement about its candidates as of press time. The close of business Tuesday was the deadline to make the fall ballot. 

While the parties are new, some candidates might be recognizable to voters. Here are the parties' candidates and the races they are joining.

Governor nominee

Former Omaha state lawmaker Brett Lindstrom, the America First nominee for governor, headlines the America First group because of his recent nonpartisan bid for the state's top job and bid for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.

Brett Lindstrom files to run for Nebraska governor as America First Party nominee

Lindstrom's platform from his nonpartisan bid, called the Nebraska Doctrine, remains the basis of his new campaign. 

"Nebraskans deserve another choice in this election," Lindstrom said in a press release. "They should not be forced to choose between reelecting a governor who, in just three and a half years, has pushed the state to the brink of a fiscal crisis and a political party that has increasingly moved away from our state's commonsense values."

Lindstrom will face Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, Democratic former state lawmaker Lynne Walz and Legal Marijuana NOW nominee Rick Beard. Lindstrom's running mate is Michael Picard.

Secretary of State 

Bob Krist is the America First party's nominee for secretary of state. Paul Rumbaugh is the Working People Party's nominee.

They are taking on Republican nominee Scott Petersen and Democratic nominee Sarah Slattery. Petersen beat Secretary of State Bob Evnen in the party primary.

Krist served in the Legislature from 2009 to 2019. Most of that time, he was a Republican. He became a Democrat in 2017 and then the party's gubernatorial nominee in 2018. His running mate was Walz. 

Krist became a Republican again in 2022. His current registration is America First, according to the state's voter database. 

U.S. Senate

Chuck Conboy is America First's nominee for U.S. Senate.

Robin Richards, the chair of the Nebraska Working People Party and a recent candidate for the Legislature, is that party's Senate nominee. Richards was a Democrat earlier this year and has drawn criticism from the party for launching the Working People Party. 

The two candidates join what has been Nebraska's strangest and highest-profile race. 

Incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, and nonpartisan former Omaha union leader Dan Osborn are the leading candidates. Their campaigns have accused one another of planting candidates to confuse voters and disrupt the race. 

Democrats did not field a candidate for U.S. Senate, creating a kerfuffle of last-minute primary entries. Politicos speculate that the new America First and Nebraska Working People parties were introduced to disrupt the Senate race. 

Conboy does not have much information publicly available online, though he did share with several news outlets his family's experience contracting COVID-19. 

Brett Lindstrom joins Nebraska's new America First Party. Is governor bid imminent?

District 1

Dan Hartong is the America First nominee in the 1st Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Flood is taking on Democratic challenger Chris Backemeyer, a former federal official. 

Flood is favored to win the district, but national Democratic groups listed the 1st District as potentially competitive for the first time in years. 

District 3

Macey Budke is the Working People Party nominee in the 3rd Congressional District. 

Budke was already running for the seat as a nonpartisan write-in candidate.

She is part of a crowded field looking to unseat Republican Rep. Adrian Smith. Becky Stille is the Democratic nominee, David Else is the Legal Marijuana NOW nominee, and Mark Cohen is running a nonpartisan campaign. 

Auditor

America First nominated John Knight to take on Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Foley.

Foley previously faced no challenger. He ran unopposed in the GOP primary, and Democrats ran no candidate against him. 

Foley is in his second stint as auditor and was Ricketts' lieutenant governor for two terms. 

Knight is one of the America First Party's officers, according to files submitted to Evnen's office. He is the party secretary. 

An alternative

America First mainly positions itself as an alternative to the GOP. Its priorities include putting Americans first, no new wars, getting spending and debt under control, limiting government, making America healthier, demanding transparency and holding public officials accountable regardless of party.

"There are Republicans all across Nebraska who still believe in fiscal responsibility, limited government, accountability and putting America first," Cartier said. "They shouldn't have to become Democrats just because they're disappointed with the people currently carrying the Republican label."

The Working People Party shares ideals, like full fair wages, universal health care and clean air and water.