Nebraska's 2022 gubernatorial primary

With just a few days left to instill their images in the minds of voters ahead of the primary election, the top three Republican contenders for Nebraska governor have kicked their campaigns into overdrive, announcing a stream of endorsements, releasing new poll results, and even promoting a second appearance (virtual, this time) by former President Donald Trump.

EndorsementsThe top three contenders for the Republican nomination all announced endorsements this week.

Voters visited the Douglas County Election Commission office at a steady clip Monday afternoon ahead of Nebraska’s May 10 primary election. Some of them braved the rain to switch their party registration to Republican, motivated by a heated and competitive gubernatorial primary.

State data shows the Republican Party gained nearly 8,500 registered voters between January and Monday’s registration deadline, while the Democratic Party lost about 8,100. There were about 2,800 fewer nonpartisan voters, Libertarians lost about 30 and Legal Marijuana NOW gained nearly 900. Much of the shuffling took place in the past month.

The latest financial reports are in for the fast-approaching 2022 gubernatorial primary, and top contenders for the Republican nomination did not slow their fundraising — or their spending — last month.

The reports cover the period April 6-25.

The name of Brad Ashford, a prominent figure in Nebraska politics who died last month after battling brain cancer, has appeared in efforts to malign GOP gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

The two-term state senator from Omaha has increasingly become the target of attack ads, some funded by third-party groups, as the increasingly bitter and tightly contested Republican primary contest inches closer to election day, May 10.

GREENWOOD, Neb. -- Railing against the political establishment in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people on Sunday, Charles Herbster cast himself as an outsider running with the blessing of former President Donald Trump.

In a wide-ranging speech that lasted about 25 minutes, Herbster said he was ready to "take back Nebraska" from elites entrenched in the state's political leadership.

A poll commissioned by GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen again showed the top three candidates in a dead heat for the Nebraska governor’s seat.

The survey showed Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent and hog producer, polling at 24%, Conklin CEO Charles W. Herbster at 23% and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom at 20%. Twenty-four percent of surveyed voters were undecided and 7% went with former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau.

In an unusual late-campaign move, ads for Charles W. Herbster temporarily went dark on broadcast and cable TV this week.

The campaign blames an error with wiring money, but political observers say the incident and explanation raise questions.

In what was likely their final chance before the May 10 primary election, three Republican candidates for Nebraska governor faced off in central Nebraska on Monday at a debate colored by current events.

While they offered their thoughts on standard fare, such as property tax reform and workforce issues, journalists at the NTV News debate also posed questions on less frequently discussed topics, including medical cannabis and the changing climate’s impact on farmers.

Just two weeks ahead of the May 10 gubernatorial primary, a new poll commissioned by a political consultant reiterates that the Republican nomination appears to be fair game for any of three candidates.

The poll, conducted April 19-20 by Data Targeting for Neilan Strategy Group, found State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen all within the margin of error — and a sizable portion of voters who haven’t chosen their candidate.

Nebraskans face a busy election year, one that has been made more complicated by redistricting and a special election for the 1st Congressional District.

Every Nebraska voter will have a chance to cast ballots in two elections — the May primary and November general election.

The gubernatorial campaign of State Sen. Brett Lindstrom released polling Monday that indicates an increasingly tight three-way contest for the Republican nomination. The poll was conducted before serious allegations against one of the front-runners sent a shockwave through the race.

Polls released by two campaigns in mid-March already had suggested a three-way race, with Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster polling ahead of Lindstrom and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen. The new polling, by 3D Strategic Research, was conducted for Lindstrom’s campaign April 10-12. It suggests the gaps among candidates narrowing as undecided voters peel off, with Herbster four points behind Lindstrom and Pillen.

Charles W. Herbster received blunt condemnation from many Nebraska political leaders this week after reports that he allegedly groped multiple women, something the candidate vehemently denies.

But with Herbster showing no signs of shirking from the governor’s race and the state GOP saying it will stay out of the primary, it appears voters will ultimately determine the gravity of the claims.

Republican candidate for Nebraska governor Charles W. Herbster is facing condemnation from powerful politicians of all stripes — from the governor to every female state senator — over allegations that he groped multiple women, including a state lawmaker.

The Nebraska Examiner on Thursday reported allegations from eight women who said Herbster, a Republican megadonor and CEO of Conklin Co. and other businesses, touched them inappropriately. The women were between their late teens and mid-20s at the time, according to the Examiner, and all the incidents occurred between 2017 and this year.

New financial reports show that Charles W. Herbster, Conklin Co. CEO and one of the GOP front-runners in the race for Nebraska governor, continues to use millions of his own money to power his campaign.

At this point, Herbster has donated more to his campaign than current Gov. Pete Ricketts spent — from all sources — on the primary and general election combined in 2014, the last time the governor’s seat was open.

Attorneys for a Nebraska consulting firm and the gubernatorial campaign of Charles W. Herbster are working quickly to resolve a legal fight involving allegations that the campaign improperly ended the firm’s services and owes money, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

Herbster’s campaign retained political consulting firm EZ Politix under a contract for Dec. 1, 2020, to May 10 of this year at a rate of $12,500 a month, according to a copy filed in court. The contract was signed by a campaign representative and Andrew Northwall, who was then president of EZ Politix.

One of the Republican front-runners in the race for Nebraska governor on Wednesday advocated for schools to teach prayer and scrap lessons that cast America in a negative light.

In response to a question about critical race theory at a wide-ranging forum hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber, Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster said the country has lost “the moral compass of what made America great: That is God, the flag, and our families,” framing it as a “war.”

Republican Jim Pillen announced that Joe Kelly, a prosecutor and his longtime friend, will be his running mate in the race for Nebraska governor.

At the Capitol on Tuesday, Pillen announced his pick while emphasizing the role of public safety in government and Kelly’s record of public service. The two have been friends since they were students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, according to Pillen, a hog producer and University of Nebraska regent.

State Sen. Brett Lindstrom’s campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination just got a boost from the mayor of Nebraska’s biggest city.

“After watching these campaigns develop, and to watch what their issues are and what their commercials are saying — to me, there’s no other choice,” Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said in endorsing Lindstrom.

A handful of the GOP candidates for Nebraska governor are household names by now, either due to their public profile or their attention-catching ads. But they aren’t the only names Republican primary voters will see in the May 10 primary election.

In all, nine Republicans, two Democrats and one Libertarian filed to run for the office.

Jim Pillen has the hallmarks of a candidate poised to be Nebraska's governor. 

He has led the field of Republican hopefuls in fundraising and garnered a slew of endorsements from GOP heavyweights, including the man Pillen hopes to succeed, Gov. Pete Ricketts. Coupled with connections from his days as a Husker football player and status in the business community, those factors have helped solidify Pillen as a front-runner.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Theresa Thibodeau named her running mate Thursday: Trent Loos, a sixth-generation farmer, agriculture advocate and right-wing radio host from central Nebraska.

The organization that represents Nebraska State Patrol troopers threw its support behind Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster on Tuesday, citing the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s commitment to law enforcement and a need to address staffing issues.

“As we have considered who to endorse in this open governor’s election, we have one issue in focus: Who will be most likely to make law enforcement at the State Patrol a priority for the next four years,” said Investigator James Estwick, with the State Troopers Association of Nebraska. “Will the changes that are needed … be done, or will we continue the status quo?”

Charles W. Herbster is a jet-setting businessman and Republican mega-donor with deep pockets. He’s also a cattle rancher and born-again Christian who draws on farming metaphors with ease.

He’s fashioning a public image around those identities in his campaign for governor of Nebraska. But the most defining feature of his candidacy has been loyalty, similarities and ties to Donald Trump.

LINCOLN — A couple of the current Nebraska governor’s big spending proposals were met with some skepticism from Republicans running to replace him at a debate Thursday evening.

Four candidates — Falls City cattle rancher and Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster, State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, former Sen. Theresa Thibodeau of Omaha, and Omaha information technology manager Breland Ridenour — took the stage at Nebraska Public Media’s Lincoln studio. It marked the first time they’ve faced off in a debate environment.

Going into Thursday’s debate among Republican contenders for governor in Nebraska, we know top candidates’ answers to at least one burning question: Who do they believe is the president of the United States?

The top four Republican candidates agree that it’s President Joe Biden. That includes Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster, who’s endorsed by former President Donald Trump, the main source of baseless assertions that the election was stolen.

Thursday evening, four Republican candidates for Nebraska governor will take the debate stage for the first time and answer journalists’ questions. But one candidate, Jim Pillen, declined the invitation.

Last month, he cited a scheduling conflict with Thursday’s debate. But he has since signaled that he’ll also skip any future debates, throwing a wrench into the traditional expectations of election season.

The Republican race for governor in Nebraska is heating up, with the debut of third-party attack ads and recent polls indicating three top contenders.

Taken together, they appear to signal a competitive race involving Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster, University of Nebraska Regent and livestock producer Jim Pillen and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser. It’s an especially high-stakes contest in Nebraska, where the Republican nominee is likely to become the next governor.

Brett Lindstrom’s crucible moment as a legislator hit early in his political career, on a matter of life and death.

After months of study, the first-year Nebraska state senator, a pro-life conservative Republican, cast a series of votes in 2015 to overturn the death penalty. The decision put him at odds with Gov. Pete Ricketts and much of the base of his own party. Lindstrom described it at the time as “the hardest vote I’ve ever made.”

The day after Republican Charles W. Herbster’s gubernatorial campaign said it had pulled an ad that raised legal concerns, it was still running on at least two Omaha TV stations into the afternoon.

The development led two veteran campaign strategists, as well as Herbster’s chief rival in the Republican race, to question the campaign’s efforts to pull the ad.

Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley on Tuesday endorsed Falls City businessman and cattle rancher Charles W. Herbster to succeed Gov. Pete Ricketts, revealing a divide between Foley and Ricketts, who have served alongside one another for most of a decade.

Foley ran for governor in 2014 and was chosen as Ricketts’ running mate after Ricketts won the primary and lost his first pick for lieutenant governor to a family scandal. Before his current role, Foley was the state auditor of public accounts and had served as a state senator. He’s currently running to reclaim his seat as auditor.

Facing a shortage of cash and time, Theresa Thibodeau has taken her campaign for Nebraska governor on the road, racking up miles and handshakes in the process.

The Republican candidate hopes her background and experiences, including stints as a state lawmaker and day care owner, will separate her in the field of GOP hopefuls seeking to advance to the November general election.

Three Republican candidates for Nebraska governor all have used University of Nebraska logos or imagery in campaign ads — and the university would like them to cut it out.

The university sent letters to Charles Herbster, State Sen. Brett Lindstrom and NU Regent Jim Pillen, dated Feb. 25, as first reported by News Channel Nebraska. The letters, signed by Stacia Palser, university vice president and general counsel, asked that the candidates remove the marks and imagery from their respective ads and that they not use them in future campaigning.

Charles W. Herbster has used Jim Pillen’s record on critical race theory as ammunition in attacks against his chief rival in the Republican primary for Nebraska governor. But the critiques of Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent since 2013, aren’t backed by much substance.

The questionable claims are part of the latest back-and-forth as the two contenders seek to differentiate themselves based on what one longtime political observer described as a “wedge issue” — one being leveraged by conservative politicians across the U.S.

Three Republican candidates for Nebraska governor shelled out to hit the airwaves with 30-second ads during the Super Bowl on Sunday, but one showed up in more markets and spent more money than the others: State Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

These aren’t the national spots with NBC that cost millions, but they’re still drastically more expensive than a typical ad.

You’ve probably seen the ad by now: A shotgun-wielding, hunting vest-wearing Jim Pillen addresses the camera with a series of lines, including “Biden is as lost as last year’s Easter egg. And Fauci? Don’t get me started,” over a twangy country-style instrumental.

Then the gubernatorial candidate introduces himself, pumps the shotgun and pledges to keep Nebraska safe as governor. In another recent ad, the University of Nebraska regent and livestock producer says “the radical left and liberal media have lost their minds” and touts his opposition to critical race theory.

State Sen. Brett Lindstrom has picked a running mate in the Nebraska governor’s race: former State Director of Economic Development Dave Rippe.

Rippe grew up in Malcolm, Nebraska, and graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska, according to a Lindstrom campaign press release. He currently lives in Hastings and works in real estate and development.

In the Republican primary race to succeed Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, candidate Charles W. Herbster announced that he has received an endorsement from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

The development positions two prominent Republican governors, Ricketts and Noem, on opposite sides of the primary race. Ricketts in January endorsed Jim Pillen, a livestock producer and University of Nebraska regent.

Candidates for Nebraska governor collectively raised well over $12 million in 2021, but the vast majority of that total, according to campaign statements, went to the campaigns of two Republicans: Jim Pillen and Charles W. Herbster.

Meanwhile, the lone Democrat in the race, State Sen. Carol Blood, came up far short of either, raising the equivalent of 1.4% of Pillen’s haul.

Six candidates for Nebraska governor offered their visions for reforming the state’s tax system and addressing workforce woes Thursday at a forum hosted by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and News Channel Nebraska in Lincoln.

Republican candidates Charles W. Herbster, Brett Lindstrom, Jim Pillen, Breland Ridenour and Theresa Thibodeau shared a stage with the lone Democrat in the race, Carol Blood.

Nebraska gubernatorial candidates Charles W. Herbster and Jim Pillen are trading barbs over the importance of parenthood as a qualification to be the state’s next top executive.

Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent and livestock producer, and his wife Suzanne have four children and seven grandchildren. Herbster, a Falls City businessman, and his late wife, Judy, didn’t have children. Judy Herbster died in 2017 of a heart attack.