Herbster Decides Against GOP Primary Challenge of Governor Pillen
by Matt Johnson
OMAHA — After more than a year of active speculation, former gubernatorial challenger to Jim Pillen has announced today that he will not be running for governor again in 2026.
Four years ago, Herbster ran an aggressive but ultimately unsuccessful campaign for governor in a crowded field. The campaign was contentious, and Pillen won the Republican nomination with only a plurality of 33.9%—well below any commanding majority of party mandate.
Since then, Herbster has made several statements on social media hinting at a potential run, routinely criticizing Pillen with comments that Nebraska can not afford another term with him as Governor.
“Governor Pillen created a whole NEW office to address Nebraska’s broadband connectivity crisis, and that new department failed,” Herbster said on X in December. “You have to ask yourself, can we afford four more years of Pillen failures? Nebraska is missing out on opportunities to grow our economy and we now have a budget crisis. These failures are simply unacceptable.”
In a statement released today, the final day for non-incumbents to file for office, Herbster finally made it clear — he is not running.
“While there was a great deal of verbal encouragement and nearly everyone wanted change, very few were willing to publicly support a challenge to the current administration,” Herbster said in a statement. “Another campaign like that would hurt other candidates. This 2026 election cycle is too important, and I am not willing to put Nebraskans through that again.”
“A final decision wasn’t made until this afternoon,” said Rod Edwards, Herbster’s Director of Political Operations. For now, Herbster will focus on helping elect other conservatives and Republicans on the ballot.
“He’s going to concentrate heavily on supporting solid conservative Republican candidates for the Legislature and making sure we elect a Republican federal delegation,” Edwards said.
The race for Governor already has multiple candidates among three political parties challenging Pillen for his seat, including Republicans Sheila J. Korth-Focken, Gary L. Rogge, and Jacy Todd. Lynne Walz and Larry Marvin are running for the nomination of the Democratic Party, and the Legal Marijuana NOW party has two candidates, Rick Beard and James J. Charvat.
With the filing deadline closing today, no more candidates will be able to enter the race. The primary election is May 12, 2026, and the general will be on November 3, 2026.
The Plains Sentinel has reached out to the Pillen campaign for comment.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.
