(Picture credit Matt Johnson)
OMAHA — On Saturday afternoon, Sen. Pete Ricketts held a campaign event at R&R Realty in Elkhorn, speaking to around 60 guests to rally the base ahead of what many expect to be a difficult midterm election year for Republicans.
Ricketts touted his record on cutting taxes and border security as well as the recently passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. He also lambasted Democrats in Congress over recent government shutdowns, opposition to border security funding, and voting against measures like the SAVE Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and the farm bill.
Ricketts is running against Independent Dan Osborn, but has been endorsed by the chair of the Democratic Party. Cindy Burbank, the winner of the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, ran on the basis of dropping out to “clear the field” for Osborn, a tactic that has also been used in U.S. Senate races in South Dakota and Idaho.
The Plains Sentinel asked Ricketts about the political gamesmanship:
“I believe the Democrats are so far out of touch with what Nebraskans believe—because the socialist Democrats are driving their party—and they know that if they run somebody with a Democrat label statewide here in Nebraska, they can’t win because of their radical values. And that’s why they’re trying to hide this by running independents.”
Brinker Harding, who is running for Congress in Nebraska’s 2nd District, introduced Ricketts at the event and chimed in on this issue.
“They can’t win on the issues, so they have to resort to tactics in order to find ways to win the elections,” Harding said. “We have the right issues. We have the right answers to those, and that’s what we’re gonna be doing from now until November 3.”
Q&A on the Issues
During the Q&A, one guest asked Ricketts about his record on handling COVID while he was governor. Nebraska was one of seven states that did not shut down during that period, and Ricketts emphasized that the overall outcomes in the state were recognized even by left-leaning publication Politico.
“Politico, which is not exactly a conservative news organization, ranked Nebraska the number one best pandemic response team, looking at things such as health outcomes, educational outcomes, the economy, and social wellbeing,” Ricketts said.
One question from guests was on President Trump’s announcement Friday to temporarily lift tariffs on imported ground beef over the next 90 days, which the administration said would be sold at 25% below current market prices. All five members of Nebraska’s federal delegation pushed back on the proposal, including Ricketts.
“I understand why consumers are unhappy but this is a short-term attempt at a long-term problem,” Ricketts said. “Our cattle herd in the country is at a low that we haven’t seen since like the 1950s, so the real solution is helping our cattle ranchers build back up the size of their herd. That’s how we actually get long-term prices to reflect what’s going on in the marketplace.”
Can the SAVE Act be Saved?
Among the issues Pete Ricketts is working on in the Senate is the passage of the SAVE Act, which would reform elections in the United States. The Act has been consistently blocked by Senate Democrats via filibuster, which requires 60 votes to override.
“They’ve [Democrats] had five opportunities to vote for the SAVE Act and turned it down. Two weeks ago today, they had an opportunity to pass just straight voter ID, simple voter ID, which we have here in Nebraska. Thirty-six states have it, including blue states, and every single Democrat voted against it.”
The Plains Sentinel asked Ricketts if there was any chance Republicans would make a maneuver regarding the filibuster as Democrats did trying to pass their own election reforms legislation in 2021 and 2022.
“We’re gonna look for all sorts of ways to be able to continue to provide voter integrity going forward,” Ricketts said. “And so that’s one of the options on the table, but we’ll be looking for other options as well. So I say stay tuned, because we’re gonna continue to put the Democrats on record about voter integrity.”
Upcoming Debate
Ricketts will have a debate with Osborn on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at the BigIron Events Center at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. It will be their first and only debate this election cycle. The debate is free with paid fair admission, but in-person seating is capped at 200 seats. It will air live on News Channel Nebraska via its television, radio, and digital streaming platforms.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.