The person behind the name
Pete Ricketts's public career runs from the family brokerage where he became chief operating officer to two terms as Governor of Nebraska and, since January 2023, the United States Senate, where he sits on the Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works, Banking and Budget committees. [1][2]
Ricketts was born in Nebraska City in 1964 and raised in Omaha, the son, by his official biography, of an entrepreneur and a school teacher. He and his wife, Susanne Shore, have been married for 27 years and live in Omaha; they have three children, Roscoe, Margot and Eleanor. [1][4]
Education and professional preparation
His official biography reports a diploma from Westside High School and, from the University of Chicago, a bachelor's degree in biology and an M.B.A. in marketing and finance. After graduate school he worked for Union Pacific and then joined the family business that became Ameritrade as a customer service representative, rising through senior vice president posts to president and chief operating officer; he later founded Drakon, LLC, and sat on the boards of TD Ameritrade and the Chicago Cubs. Degree years and the dates of his corporate posts were not part of this review. [1]
From a lost Senate race to the governorship
His first campaign was for this same Senate seat: in November 2006 he lost to Senator Ben Nelson, 378,388 votes to 213,928, 36.1 percent of the two-candidate vote as computed from the House Clerk's statistics. Eight years later he was elected governor with 308,751 votes to Chuck Hassebrook's 211,905, 57.2 percent of the total as computed from the canvass, and in 2018 he was re-elected over Bob Krist, 411,812 to 286,169, 59.0 percent. [12][13][14]
After Senator Ben Sasse vacated the seat in January 2023, Governor Jim Pillen appointed Ricketts to it on January 12; he was sworn in on January 23, 2023. He won the November 5, 2024 special election for the unexpired term ending January 3, 2027, 585,103 votes to 349,902 for Democrat Preston Love Jr., 62.6 percent as computed from the canvass. [57][1][10][11][3]
On May 12, 2026 he won the Republican nomination for a six-year term with 160,547 votes, 81.5 percent of a five-candidate primary as computed from the canvass. The Secretary of State's final candidate list for November 3 places him against Dan Osborn, listed by petition, and three minor-party candidates; the Democratic nominee, Cindy Burbank, declined the nomination in July, and her party chose not to replace her. [8][9][59][60]
A note on the opponent's label. Reporting and his own campaign site call Osborn an independent; the Secretary of State's list records him as a candidate by petition with no party. Both descriptions are used here. Osborn ran for the state's other Senate seat in 2024, taking 436,493 votes to Senator Deb Fischer's 499,124, 46.5 percent of the total including write-ins, as computed from the House Clerk's statistics. [9][66][61][11]
Life & public service
From a brokerage office to the governorship to the Senate, the documented milestones show how the record was built.
A first Senate race, lost
Lost the November 7, 2006 general election to Senator Ben Nelson, 378,388 to 213,928. [12]
Re-elected; Medicaid expanded by initiative
Re-elected over Bob Krist, 411,812 to 286,169; the same ballot approved Initiative 427, expanding Medicaid, 356,891 to 309,533. [14]
LB 1107
Signed LB 1107, the ImagiNE Nebraska Act and Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act, on August 17, 2020, after a 41–4–4 final vote. [18]
Retirement-income and income-tax bills
Signed LB 387 on May 25, 2021, a bill introduced at his request on the taxation of military retirement benefits, which his office describes as eliminating state tax on that income from 2022, and LB 873 on April 13, 2022, changing income-tax rates, the taxation of Social Security benefits and property tax credits. [19][20][1]
The President's endorsement
Received President Trump's endorsement for re-election in a Truth Social post on Thursday, April 10, 2025. [58]
The nomination and the field
Won the May 12 primary with 81.5 percent as computed from the canvass; the Democratic nominee declined the nomination in July, leaving a contest with the independent Dan Osborn, and in a ruling reported September 10 the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the party's decision not to replace her. [8][59][60]
Accomplishments, in the record
Senate roll calls, the Legislature's bill histories, the canvass books and official announcements establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the office's own figures labelled as such and credit shared where a measure was another official's initiative.
Property, income and retirement-income tax bills as governor
The office's biography credits his administration with more than $12.7 billion in tax relief by 2027, including more than $10 billion in property tax relief, the elimination of state tax on veterans' retirement income from 2022 and on Social Security benefits by 2025, and average annual state budget growth of 2.8 percent. Those are the office's own figures and were not audited here. [1]
The bill records establish the instruments. LB 1107, introduced by Senator Scheer, passed 41–4–4 on August 13, 2020 and was signed August 17; among the acts it adopted were the ImagiNE Nebraska Act and the Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act. LB 387, introduced by Senator Brewer at the governor's request, passed 47–0–2 and was signed May 25, 2021, changing the taxation of military retirement benefits. LB 873, introduced by Senator Friesen, passed 43–0–6 and was signed April 13, 2022, changing corporate and individual income-tax rates, the taxation of Social Security benefits and property tax credits. Each was a legislator's bill signed by the governor; only LB 387 carries the record's note that it was introduced at his request. [18][19][20]
A veto overridden, then a referendum
LB 268, introduced by Senator Chambers, eliminated the death penalty. It passed 32–15–2 on May 20, 2015; Ricketts returned it without approval on May 26, and the next day the Legislature passed it notwithstanding his objections, 30–19–0. Thirteen days earlier the same body had overridden his veto of LB 610, the motor-fuel excise tax bill, 30–16–3. [16][17]
A referendum petition followed. The Omaha World-Herald reported on June 29, 2015 that Ricketts and his father had contributed $200,000 of the $244,000 the petition group had raised to that point; by late August, Courthouse News reported citing the World-Herald, the two had given more than $300,000. On November 8, 2016 voters repealed Legislative Bill 268 in Referendum 426, 494,151 to 320,719, 60.6 percent as computed from the canvass, keeping the death penalty as a possible penalty for first-degree murder. [62][63][67][15]
Attendance and ideology, measured
GovTrack counts 31 missed roll calls of 1,574 from February 2023 to September 2026, 2.0 percent, against a median of 2.8 percent among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. Voteview's DW-NOMINATE first-dimension score places him at 0.445 in both the 118th and 119th Congresses. Ranked from the most conservative score among the Republican senators in Voteview's files — ranks computed for this profile from files that include members who served only part of a Congress — he is 33rd of 49 in the 118th and 42nd of 57 in the 119th; by that measure roughly two-thirds of his Republican colleagues score more conservative than he does. [2][43][42]
The one law he sponsored
Congress.gov records 142 measures with Ricketts as sponsor since January 2023, 47 of them amendments, and 771 cosponsored. One was enacted in its own right: S.J.Res. 28, disapproving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule defining larger participants in the market for general-use digital consumer payment applications, which passed the Senate 51–47 on March 5, 2025 and became Public Law 119-11 on May 9, 2025. Two of his bills passed the Senate by unanimous consent and were received in the House and held at the desk, where the record leaves them: S. 3577, naming the federal building in North Platte for Virginia Smith, on February 27, 2024, and S. 1744, the PORCUPINE Act, with an amendment, on December 11, 2025. GovTrack's more inclusive count, which credits companion bills, lists two enacted measures, adding S. 3839, the Lexington post-office naming. [4][5][28][6][68][69][2]
Three votes on one bill
On February 7, 2024 he voted No on cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 815, the vehicle for the border and national-security supplemental, which failed 49–50; his office had announced the vote the day before: “This bill doesn’t get the job done.” On February 13 he voted No as the Senate passed the supplemental, 70–29, and on April 23 he voted Yes on the motion to concur in the House amendment to H.R. 815, the foreign-aid package, 79–18. In February he had said he supported aid for Israel and for partners in the Indo-Pacific but that “Nebraskans understand that our most pressing national security issue is the southern border.” [22][55][23][24][56]
The roll calls that defined two Congresses
He voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act on January 20, 2025 (64–35), on the confirmation of Peter Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24 (50–50, decided by the Vice President), on H.R. 1, the reconciliation bill, on July 1 (50–50, decided by the Vice President), and on the H.R. 4 rescissions package on July 17 (51–48). He voted Yea on the continuing resolution that fell short on September 30, 2025 (55–45, with sixty votes required), on the amended bill that ended the shutdown on November 10 (60–40), and on the consolidated appropriations bill for fiscal 2026 on January 15, 2026 (82–15). In December 2024 he voted Yea on the Social Security Fairness Act (76–20). In June 2023 he had voted No on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt-ceiling agreement, which passed 63–36. [26][27][31][32][33][35][36][25][21]
Tariffs, war powers, stablecoins, voter identification and Title IX
On the two Senate resolutions terminating the national emergency used to impose global tariffs he voted Nay: S.J.Res. 49 failed 49–49 on April 30, 2025 and S.J.Res. 88 passed 51–47 on October 30, 2025. On Iran he voted Nay on the March 4, 2026 motion to discharge S.J.Res. 104, which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities (rejected 47–53), and Nay on H. Con. Res. 86, directing the President under the War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, which the Senate agreed to 50–48 on June 23, 2026. [29][34][37][39][70]
He voted Yea on S. 1582, the stablecoin regulation bill, on June 17, 2025 (68–30); Yea on S. 2, the Secure America Act, a five-page reconciliation bill that passed 52–47 on June 5, 2026 and was signed June 10; and Yea on cloture for S. 5271, the voter photo-identification bill, which fell short at 52–46 on August 8, 2026. On March 3, 2025 he voted Yea on cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 9, a bill providing that for Title IX athletics purposes sex is recognized by reproductive biology and genetics at birth; cloture failed 51–45 with sixty votes required. [30][38][41][40][71]
Four committees and two gavels
He sits on Foreign Relations, where he chairs the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy; on Environment and Public Works, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and on the Budget Committee. GovTrack classifies 22 percent of his sponsored bills under international affairs and 22 percent under agriculture and food. [1][2]
What the ratings measure
Heritage Action scores him 94 percent for the 119th Congress and 84 percent lifetime; the Club for Growth gives him 80 for 2025, 88 for 2024 and 85 for 2023, a lifetime score of 84 and a rank of 27; the League of Conservation Voters scores him 3 percent for 2025 and 2 percent lifetime. Each is an advocacy group's selection of votes, not a government record. [44][46][45]
Family & community
His official biography identifies his wife as Susanne Shore, married for 27 years, and says they live in Omaha with three children, Roscoe, Margot and Eleanor. [1]
The same biography lists service on the board of the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts, as a director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, on the Board of Advisors of Opportunity Education Foundation and on the Archbishop's Committee for Development, membership in the Knights of Columbus, and that he is a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. [1]
The biography states that he and his family attend St. Margaret Mary's church; that is its only direct statement on religion, and this profile makes no further claim. The sources reviewed document family, residence and the roles above as the office states them; they do not supply an independent record of the board service. [1]
Mission & priorities
“From Lincoln to Washington, D.C., Pete Ricketts has never stopped delivering for Nebraska.” {47}
The following summarizes the agenda on Ricketts's campaign website, which presents each plank as work already done rather than as a proposal; the vote or bill behind each claim is noted where a document supports it. [48]
01Cutting taxes
The campaign says that as governor he “championed the largest state tax cut in Nebraska history” and that in Washington he “helped pass the largest federal tax cut in American history”; it credits that bill with raising take-home pay for the average Nebraska family by $9,050. The recorded vote is his Yea on H.R. 1 on July 1, 2025; the superlatives and the household figure are the campaign's and were not measured here. [49][31]
02Keeping Nebraskans safe
The campaign says he voted to deliver a $46.5 billion investment in border security, to hire 16,000 Border Patrol agents and to invest $4 billion in the immigration-court backlog, and that as governor he “helped pass the most comprehensive law enforcement bill in memory.” The votes on the record are his Yea on H.R. 1 on July 1, 2025 and on the Laken Riley Act on January 20, 2025; the page does not name the legislation behind the dollar figures, which are the campaign's and were not measured here. [50][31][26]
03Protecting national security
The campaign presents him as “a leader in combating the Chinese Communist Party” on the Foreign Relations Committee and says he introduced bipartisan legislation to stop foreign adversaries from owning farmland. Congress.gov lists his AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 (S. 1969), the Securing American Agriculture Act (S. 912), the No China in Index Funds Act (S. 2046) and the PRC Military and Human Rights Capital Markets Sanctions Act (S. 2048), each referred to committee without further recorded action as of this review; he chairs the East Asia subcommittee. [51][5][2]
04Making government work better
The campaign says he cut the growth of state spending “from 6.5% to 2.8%” as governor, describes him as a member of the DOGE Caucus and cites his Improper Payments Transparency Act. That bill, S. 747, was introduced February 26, 2025 and referred to the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where the record leaves it; his Yea on the July 2025 rescissions package is the recorded vote on spending cuts. [52][5][32]
05Proven Nebraska solutions
The campaign says he is “bringing these Nebraska priorities to Washington,” citing the phase-out of state taxes on military retirement and Social Security as governor and his Tax Cuts for Veterans Act in the Senate. LB 387 and LB 873 are the state laws; that bill, S. 1108, and his Social Security Check Tax Cut Act, S. 1109, both introduced March 25, 2025, sit in the Finance Committee. [53][19][20][5]
06Defending Nebraska values
The campaign says he fought a Biden plan “to seize 30% of Nebraska’s land for federal conservation,” opposed infringements on Second Amendment rights and voted “to ban men from competing in women’s sports.” The vote on the record is his Yea on March 3, 2025 on cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 9, a bill providing that for Title IX athletics purposes sex is recognized by reproductive biology and genetics at birth; cloture failed 51–45 with sixty votes required, so the bill did not advance. [54][71]
07Rural hospitals and constituent service
The campaign's overview claims $500 million in guaranteed funding for rural Nebraska hospitals, nearly $5 million recovered for nearly 800 Nebraskans last year and help for nearly 1,800 Nebraskans in dealing with federal agencies. These are the campaign's figures; the page does not identify the program behind the hospital funding, and none of the three was verified here. [48]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes policy tradeoffs, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
The appointment and the “pay-to-play” charge
Governor Pillen appointed Ricketts on January 12, 2023 after interviewing nine of 111 applicants. The Nebraska Democratic Party's chairwoman said “This is the most blatant pay-to-play scheme we’ve seen in our state,” pointing to Ricketts's support for Pillen's campaign, which WOWT reported included more than $100,000 of his own money. Pillen answered, “Anybody who knows me, that’s not part of my DNA,” and Ricketts committed to run for the seat in 2024 and 2026. He did, winning the November 2024 special election 585,103 to 349,902, 62.6 percent as computed from the canvass. [57][10]
The death penalty and the drugs from India
After the 2015 override Ricketts called the repeal “a very dark day for public safety” and, with his father, funded the petition drive that put the repeal of LB 268 before voters in 2016. Courthouse News reported in August 2015 that the ACLU of Nebraska had asked the U.S. Attorney to investigate the state's effort to import lethal-injection drugs from Harris Pharma in India, writing that the state had sent customs forms to the company on July 31 and that federal officials had told state officials the drugs could not be brought into the country; the article put the purchase, as reported by the World-Herald, at $54,400. Whether the drugs were delivered or the money recovered is not established by the sources reviewed here. [63][62][67][15]
Medicaid expansion, by the voters
Nebraska did not expand Medicaid during his first term. The Associated Press reported on September 12, 2018, when the state Supreme Court cleared the initiative for the ballot, that the Legislature had rejected six previous attempts and that Ricketts opposed expansion, “arguing the state can’t afford it without diverting money from other services or raising taxes.” Initiative 427 passed on November 6, 2018, 356,891 to 309,533, the day he was re-elected. Coverage began October 1, 2020, after what WOWT described as a nearly two-year rollout, with 10,288 people enrolled at the start. [72][14][64]
Two Democratic “plants” and a lawsuit
The 2026 Democratic primary produced accusations in both directions: that William Forbes was a Ricketts plant meant to divide Osborn's vote, and that Cindy Burbank was an Osborn operative. Both campaigns denied involvement with the other candidates; Newsweek reported in May that a Ricketts campaign spokesman, Will Coup, had told the Nebraska Examiner the accusation was a conspiracy theory and that the senator had had no role in the Democratic primary. Burbank won, declined the nomination the day after Osborn's petition signatures were verified, and the party chose not to replace her. Forbes sued; in a unanimous ruling reported September 10, 2026, the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal, holding that state law did not oblige the party to name a replacement. Party leaders had accused Ricketts of financing the suit; his deputy campaign manager's reply was that “A registered Democrat is suing the Democratic Party for the opportunity to vote for a Democrat.” [59][65][60]
The 2024 abortion initiatives
The Nebraska Examiner reported on April 16, 2024, in an article the senator's office republished on its own site, that Ricketts had given $500,000 to Protect Women and Children, the group seeking a constitutional ban on abortion after the first trimester, and was the only donor named in its first report to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission; he said, “Nebraska’s commonsense abortion limits reflect our state’s strong culture of life.” On November 5, 2024 voters approved Initiative 434, whose text protects unborn children from abortion in the second and third trimesters with exceptions for medical emergencies, sexual assault and incest, 509,288 to 417,624, and rejected Initiative 439, which would have established a right to abortion until fetal viability, 455,184 to 473,652. The canvass records the measures' text and totals, not their sponsors. [73][10]
Osborn's leaked recording and the senator's reply
On September 16, 2026 a recording surfaced in which Osborn spoke of Nebraska Trump voters as “Billy Bob” in Red Cloud and “Mary Jane” or “Mary Jo,” saying they wanted to feel they were on the winning team; he told CNN it sounded like him but was out of character, and offered an apology to anyone offended. Ricketts posted the clip and wrote that “Dan Osborn continues to show us who he really is.” The exchange is a campaign dispute, recorded here as reported. [61]
The endorsement, the polls and the money
President Trump endorsed Ricketts on April 10, 2025, calling him “one of the strongest Senators in the Country on Border Security.” Newsweek reported in May 2026 that a Tavern Research poll had Osborn ahead 47 percent to 42 percent, that an Impact Research poll in February had Ricketts ahead by one point, and that Osborn had outraised him in the first quarter; in August it reported an Impact Research poll released by the Osborn campaign showing the two tied at 47 percent, which Ricketts's campaign manager dismissed: “Desperate campaigns leak polls. Winning campaigns don’t have to.” The same article noted that the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race Likely Republican. The FEC's summary through June 30, 2026 shows the Ricketts committee with $11,233,506.70 in receipts, of which $5,295,887.54 were the candidate's own contributions, and $6,910,969.90 on hand. Endorsements and polls measure support, not the record above. [58][65][74][7]
Questions & answers
Who is Pete Ricketts?
Pete Ricketts's public career runs from the family brokerage where he became chief operating officer to two terms as Governor of Nebraska and, since January 2023, the United States Senate, where he sits on the Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works, Banking and Budget committees. [1][2] Ricketts was born in Nebraska City in 1964 and raised in Omaha, the son, by his official biography, of an entrepreneur and a school teacher. He and his wife, Susanne Shore, have been married for 27 years and live in Omaha; they have three children, Roscoe, Margot and Eleanor. [1][4]
What office is Pete Ricketts running for in 2026?
Who is Pete Ricketts running against?
On May 12, 2026 he won the Republican nomination for a six-year term with 160,547 votes, 81.5 percent of a five-candidate primary as computed from the canvass. The Secretary of State's final candidate list for November 3 places him against Dan Osborn, listed by petition, and three minor-party candidates; the Democratic nominee, Cindy Burbank, declined the nomination in July, and her party chose not to replace her. [8][9][59][60]
What are Pete Ricketts's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the agenda on Ricketts's campaign website, which presents each plank as work already done rather than as a proposal; the vote or bill behind each claim is noted where a document supports it. [48] The campaign lists: Cutting taxes; Keeping Nebraskans safe; Protecting national security; Making government work better; Proven Nebraska solutions; Defending Nebraska values; Rural hospitals and constituent service.
What does the public record show?
Senate roll calls, the Legislature's bill histories, the canvass books and official announcements establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the office's own figures labelled as such and credit shared where a measure was another official's initiative. The office's biography credits his administration with more than $12.7 billion in tax relief by 2027, including more than $10 billion in property tax relief, the elimination of state tax on veterans' retirement income from 2022 and on Social Security benefits by 2025, and average annual state budget growth of 2.8 percent. Those are the office's own figures and were not audited here. [1]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; twenty-one Senate roll calls are cited, chosen as the defining ones among those read. Ballotpedia, Congress.gov's public member pages, OpenSecrets, LegiScan, the Nebraska Examiner's own site, the Lincoln Journal Star, NPR and the FEC's programmatic interface refused automated requests or were unavailable during the review and were routed around, and Nebraska Public Media's site was under maintenance; Congress.gov figures were read through its public API. A September 2026 SurveyUSA poll is not cited because the pollster's report page could not be read. Degree years, bar or licence records, personal financial disclosures, the dates of his corporate posts and his roll calls on nominations other than the Secretary of Defense were not part of this review. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Historical sources do not imply current positions. The source list provides direct links so readers can check the underlying material. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: Senate roll calls, the Nebraska Board of State Canvassers' reports, the Legislature's bill histories, the FEC summary and the senator's official pages; independent analyses (GovTrack, Voteview) and advocacy ratings (Heritage Action, the Club for Growth, the League of Conservation Voters) are labelled as such; reporting supplies responses and scrutiny; campaign materials are used for the candidate's own priorities and claims.
- 01About | U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (official biography)ricketts.senate.gov · Accessed September 17, 2026
Official biography: birth in Nebraska City, family, education, Ameritrade posts, governorship dates, the office's tax-relief figures, community roles and church, committee assignments.Government record - 02Sen. Pete Ricketts — member page, committees and missed-votes recordGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Serving since January 23, 2023; subcommittee chairmanships; two enacted bills under GovTrack's inclusive definition; 31 of 1,574 roll calls missed (2.0 percent) against a 2.8 percent median; bill issue areas.Independent analysis or rating - 03Current senators for Nebraska (GovTrack API role record)GovTrack.us (API) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Birth date August 19, 1964; Class 2 seat; term begun by special election on November 5, 2024 and ending January 3, 2027; OpenSecrets id.Independent analysis or rating - 04Congress.gov member record, R000618 (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Birth year 1964; Senate terms in the 118th and 119th Congresses; 142 sponsored and 771 cosponsored measures. Read through the public API with its published demo key; the public member page shows the same record.Government record - 05Legislation sponsored by Pete Ricketts, 2023–2026 (Congress.gov API, 142 records)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Titles, introduction dates and latest actions of every sponsored bill, resolution and amendment, including S. 747, S. 912, S. 1108, S. 1109, S. 1744, S. 1969, S. 2046, S. 2048 and S. 3577.Government record - 06S.J.Res. 28 (119th Congress) — bill record (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsor Ricketts; introduced February 27, 2025; became Public Law 119-11 on May 9, 2025.Government record - 07RICKETTS, PETE — candidate overview, 2026 cycle (S6NE00129)Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
Pete Ricketts for Senate: $11,233,506.70 in receipts, $5,295,887.54 in candidate contributions, $4,809,505.91 spent and $6,910,969.90 on hand, January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.Government record - 08Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers — Primary Election, May 12, 2026Nebraska Secretary of State · May 12, 2026 (canvass)
Republican nomination for U.S. Senate: Ricketts 160,547; Knobel 15,921; Schultz 11,735; Stevens 5,204; Mortimore 3,667. Democratic: Burbank 110,210; Forbes 12,863. Legal Marijuana NOW: Marvin 829; Starkey 420.Government record - 09Final Statewide General Candidate List — November 3, 2026 General ElectionNebraska Secretary of State · September 11, 2026
The certified Senate ballot: Ricketts (Republican, incumbent), Marvin (Legal Marijuana NOW), Richards (Nebraska Working People), Conboy (America First) and Osborn (By Petition); no Democratic candidate.Government record - 10Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers — General Election, November 5, 2024Nebraska Secretary of State · 2024 (canvass)
U.S. Senate, two-year term: Ricketts 585,103; Preston Love Jr. 349,902.Government record - 11Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2024Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives · March 10, 2025
Nebraska: Ricketts 585,103 and Love 349,902 for the unexpired term; Fischer 499,124 and Osborn (By Petition) 436,493 for the full term.Government record - 12Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives · 2007
Nebraska, U.S. Senate: E. Benjamin Nelson 378,388; Pete Ricketts 213,928.Government record - 13Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers — General Election, November 4, 2014 (after recount)Nebraska Secretary of State · 2014 (canvass)
Governor: Ricketts and Foley 308,751; Hassebrook and Raybould 211,905; Elworth and Zimmerman 19,001; write-ins 545.Government record - 14Official Results of Nebraska General Election — November 6, 2018Nebraska Secretary of State · 2018 (canvass)
Governor: Ricketts and Foley 411,812; Krist and Walz 286,169. Initiative Measure 427 (Medicaid expansion): For 356,891; Against 309,533.Government record - 15Revised Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers — General Election, November 8, 2016Nebraska Secretary of State · 2016 (canvass)
Referendum No. 426: Retain 320,719; Repeal 494,151.Government record - 16LB 268 (2015) — Eliminate the death penalty: bill historyNebraska Legislature · 2015; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced by Senator Chambers; passed 32-15-2 on May 20, 2015; returned by the Governor without approval May 26; passed notwithstanding his objections 30-19-0 on May 27, 2015.Government record - 17LB 610 (2015) — Change motor fuel excise taxes: bill historyNebraska Legislature · 2015; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced by Senator Smith; passed 26-15-8 on May 7, 2015; returned without approval the same day; passed notwithstanding the Governor's objections 30-16-3 on May 14, 2015.Government record - 18LB 1107 (2020) — ImagiNE Nebraska Act and Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act: bill historyNebraska Legislature · 2020; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced by Scheer; passed on Final Reading with emergency clause 41-4-4 on August 13, 2020; approved by the Governor August 17, 2020.Government record - 19LB 387 (2021) — Taxation of military retirement benefits: bill historyNebraska Legislature · 2021; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced by Senator Brewer at the request of the Governor; passed 47-0-2 on May 19, 2021; approved May 25, 2021.Government record - 20LB 873 (2022) — Corporate and individual income taxes, taxation of Social Security benefits, property tax credits: bill historyNebraska Legislature · 2022; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced by Senator Friesen; passed 43-0-6 on April 7, 2022; approved by the Governor April 13, 2022.Government record - 21Senate roll call vote 146, June 1, 2023 — H.R. 3746, Fiscal Responsibility Act (passage)U.S. Senate · June 1, 2023
Ricketts recorded Nay; passed 63–36.Government record - 22Senate roll call vote 39, February 7, 2024 — cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 815 (border and national-security package)U.S. Senate · February 7, 2024
Ricketts recorded Nay; cloture rejected 49–50.Government record - 23Senate roll call vote 48, February 13, 2024 — H.R. 815, as amended (national security supplemental, passage)U.S. Senate · February 13, 2024
Ricketts recorded Nay; passed 70–29.Government record - 24Senate roll call vote 154, April 23, 2024 — motion to concur in the House amendment to H.R. 815 (foreign-aid package)U.S. Senate · April 23, 2024
Ricketts recorded Yea; agreed to 79–18.Government record - 25Senate roll call vote 338, December 21, 2024 — H.R. 82, Social Security Fairness Act (passage)U.S. Senate · December 21, 2024
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 76–20.Government record - 26Senate roll call vote 7, January 20, 2025 — S. 5, Laken Riley Act (passage)U.S. Senate · January 20, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 64–35.Government record - 27Senate roll call vote 15, January 24, 2025 — confirmation of Peter Hegseth as Secretary of DefenseU.S. Senate · January 24, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; confirmed 50–50 with the Vice President voting Yea.Government record - 28Senate roll call vote 106, March 5, 2025 — S.J.Res. 28, disapproving the CFPB digital-payment-applications ruleU.S. Senate · March 5, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea on his own resolution; passed 51–47.Government record - 29Senate roll call vote 225, April 30, 2025 — S.J.Res. 49, terminating the national emergency declared to impose global tariffsU.S. Senate · April 30, 2025
Ricketts recorded Nay; defeated 49–49.Government record - 30Senate roll call vote 318, June 17, 2025 — S. 1582, payment stablecoin regulation (passage)U.S. Senate · June 17, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 68–30.Government record - 31Senate roll call vote 372, July 1, 2025 — H.R. 1, reconciliation bill (passage)U.S. Senate · July 1, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 50–50 with the Vice President voting Yea.Government record - 32Senate roll call vote 411, July 17, 2025 — H.R. 4, Rescissions Act (passage)U.S. Senate · July 17, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 51–48.Government record - 33Senate roll call vote 535, September 30, 2025 — H.R. 5371, continuing appropriations (passage, three-fifths required)U.S. Senate · September 30, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; defeated 55–45.Government record - 34Senate roll call vote 600, October 30, 2025 — S.J.Res. 88, terminating the national emergency declared to impose global tariffsU.S. Senate · October 30, 2025
Ricketts recorded Nay; passed 51–47.Government record - 35Senate roll call vote 618, November 10, 2025 — H.R. 5371, as amended (continuing appropriations ending the shutdown)U.S. Senate · November 10, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 60–40.Government record - 36Senate roll call vote 11, January 15, 2026 — H.R. 6938, consolidated appropriations for fiscal year 2026U.S. Senate · January 15, 2026
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 82–15.Government record - 37Senate roll call vote 46, March 4, 2026 — motion to discharge S.J.Res. 104 (removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran)U.S. Senate · March 4, 2026
Ricketts recorded Nay; rejected 47–53.Government record - 38Senate roll call vote 163, June 5, 2026 — S. 2, Secure America Act reconciliation bill (passage)U.S. Senate · June 5, 2026
Ricketts recorded Yea; passed 52–47.Government record - 39Senate roll call vote 184, June 23, 2026 — H. Con. Res. 86, War Powers Resolution concurrent resolution on IranU.S. Senate · June 23, 2026
Ricketts recorded Nay; agreed to 50–48.Government record - 40Senate roll call vote 231, August 8, 2026 — cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 5271 (voter photo identification)U.S. Senate · August 8, 2026
Ricketts recorded Yea; cloture rejected 52–46.Government record - 41S. 2 (119th Congress) — Secure America Act: statusGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsor Lindsey Graham; passed the Senate June 5 and the House June 9, 2026; signed June 10, 2026 as Public Law 119-98; five pages.Independent analysis or rating - 42DW-NOMINATE member data, 119th Congress (S119_members.csv)Voteview (UCLA) · Accessed September 17, 2026
First-dimension score 0.445. His rank among the 57 Republican senators in the file (which includes members who served only part of the Congress) was computed from this file for this profile.Independent analysis or rating - 43DW-NOMINATE member data, 118th Congress (S118_members.csv)Voteview (UCLA) · Accessed September 17, 2026
First-dimension score 0.445; 33rd of the 49 Republican senators in the file by that score, computed for this profile.Independent analysis or rating - 44Scorecard: Sen. Pete Ricketts, 119th CongressHeritage Action for America · Accessed September 17, 2026
Session score 94 percent; lifetime 84 percent.Independent analysis or rating - 45National Environmental Scorecard: Pete RickettsLeague of Conservation Voters · Accessed September 17, 2026
2025 score 3 percent; lifetime 2 percent.Independent analysis or rating - 46Congressional Scorecard — Pete Ricketts (NE-Sen), legislator page R000618Club for Growth · Accessed September 17, 2026
2025 score 80, lifetime 84, rank 27; annual scores 85 (2023), 88 (2024) and 80 (2025). Keyed to the Bioguide identifier the Senate uses.Independent analysis or rating - 47Pete Ricketts for Senate — home pagePete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's statement of purpose and slogan; links to the campaign's X, Facebook and YouTube accounts.Campaign or advocacy material - 48Delivering for Nebraska (campaign overview)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign claims: $500 million for rural hospitals, nearly $5 million recovered for nearly 800 Nebraskans, nearly 1,800 constituents helped. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 49Cutting Taxes (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's tax claims for the governorship and the Senate, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 50Keeping Nebraskans Safe (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Border-security and law-enforcement claims, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 51Protecting Our National Security (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
China, defense and Nebraska-installation claims, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 52Making Government Work Better (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Spending-growth, DOGE Caucus and Improper Payments Transparency Act claims, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 53Delivering Proven Nebraska Solutions (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Retirement-income tax claims and the veterans' and Social Security bills, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 54Defending Our Values (campaign issue page)Pete Ricketts for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Land-conservation, Second Amendment and women's-sports claims, quoted in this profile.Campaign or advocacy material - 55Ricketts on National Security Supplemental: This Bill Doesn’t Get the Job Done (press release)Office of Senator Pete Ricketts (press release) · February 6, 2024
His announced No vote on the border package, in his own words.Government record - 56Ricketts on Supplemental Border-Foreign Aid Bill: We Needed to Pass the Right Deal, Not Just Any Deal (press release)Office of Senator Pete Ricketts (press release with transcript) · February 14, 2024
His explanation of the February 13 No vote and his stated support for aid to Israel and Indo-Pacific partners.Government record - 57Pillen appoints Ricketts as Nebraska's new SenatorWOWT (Omaha) · January 12, 2023
The appointment: nine of 111 applicants interviewed; the Democratic Party's 'pay-to-play' charge; Ricketts's contributions of more than $100,000 to the Pillen campaign; Pillen's denial; the commitment to run in 2024 and 2026.Independent reporting - 58Trump endorses Sen. Ricketts, slams Dan Osborn on Truth SocialWOWT (Omaha) · April 11, 2025
The Thursday, April 10, 2025 endorsement post and Ricketts's statement.Independent reporting - 59Election 2026: Nebraska Senate race tangled in ballot dramaWOWT (Omaha) · July 30, 2026
The 'plant' accusations against Forbes and Burbank, Burbank's withdrawal, the Forbes lawsuit, the Democratic Party's financing accusation and the Ricketts campaign's statement.Independent reporting - 60Nebraska Supreme Court rejects primary loser's appeal to force Democratic Party to replace candidateNebraska Examiner, republished by WOWT/KOLN · September 10, 2026
The unanimous ruling that the party was not obliged to replace Burbank; the five-candidate field; both campaigns' denials of involvement with the other Democratic candidates.Independent reporting - 61Nebraska Senate race: Dan Osborn called out by Ricketts after audio recording leakedWOWT (Omaha) · September 16, 2026
The recording, Osborn's response on CNN and Ricketts's post.Independent reporting - 62Pete and Joe Ricketts have contributed $200,000 to pro-death penalty groupOmaha World-Herald · June 29, 2015
The governor and his father had given $200,000 of the $244,000 raised by the referendum petition group as of June 29, 2015. Only the article's opening paragraph is legible in the retrieved page, and only it is relied on.Independent reporting - 63Nebraska Seeks Death Drugs From IndiaCourthouse News Service · August 24, 2015
The ACLU of Nebraska's request for a federal investigation of the $54,400 purchase from Harris Pharma; Ricketts's 'very dark day for public safety' remark; the petition-drive funding.Independent reporting - 64Nebraska officials assure election secure; state prepared for Medicaid expansionWOWT (Omaha) · September 30, 2020
Expanded coverage began October 1, 2020 after a ballot campaign and a nearly two-year rollout; 10,288 enrolled at launch.Independent reporting - 65Pete Ricketts' Nebraska Race Tightens as Field Clears for OsbornNewsweek · May 13, 2026
Tavern Research (Osborn 47, Ricketts 42) and Impact Research (Ricketts by one point) polls; first-quarter fundraising; the campaign spokesman's 'no role' statement and description of Osborn.Independent reporting - 66Dan Osborn | Independent for U.S. Senate (campaign site)Osborn for Senate (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The opponent's self-description as an independent, Navy veteran, industrial mechanic and union leader.Campaign or advocacy material - 67Informational Pamphlet, Referendum Measure No. 426 (2016 General Election)Nebraska Secretary of State · 2016
Ballot language: a vote to Repeal keeps the death penalty as a possible penalty for first-degree murder by repealing Legislative Bill 268 (2015); the text of LB 268.Government record - 68S. 3577 (118th Congress) — action history (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Passed the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on February 27, 2024; received in the House and held at the desk on March 1, 2024.Government record - 69S. 1744 (119th Congress), PORCUPINE Act — action history (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Passed the Senate with an amendment by unanimous consent on December 11, 2025; received in the House and held at the desk on December 15, 2025.Government record - 70H. Con. Res. 86 (119th Congress) — bill record (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Title: directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran; sponsor Rep. Gregory Meeks; introduced April 20, 2026.Government record - 71Senate roll call vote 100, March 3, 2025 — cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 9 (Title IX athletics eligibility)U.S. Senate · March 3, 2025
Ricketts recorded Yea; cloture rejected 51–45, three-fifths required.Government record - 72Nebraska Supreme Court: Voters to decide on expanding MedicaidAssociated Press, published by NTV (Nebraska.tv) · September 12, 2018
The court's dismissal of the suit against the ballot measure; the Legislature's six rejections of expansion; Ricketts's stated opposition and his reason.Independent reporting - 73Sen. Pete Ricketts funds competing abortion ban petition effortNebraska Examiner, republished by the Office of Senator Pete Ricketts · April 16, 2024
The $500,000 contribution to Protect Women and Children, the only donor named in its first Accountability and Disclosure Commission report; his statement.Independent reporting - 74Republican’s Chances of Losing to Dan Osborn in Nebraska Senate RaceNewsweek · August 26, 2026
The Impact Research poll released by the Osborn campaign (47–47, August 9–13, 600 likely voters); the Ricketts campaign manager's response; the Cook and Sabato ratings.Independent reporting
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; twenty-one Senate roll calls are cited, chosen as the defining ones among those read. Ballotpedia, Congress.gov's public member pages, OpenSecrets, LegiScan, the Nebraska Examiner's own site, the Lincoln Journal Star, NPR and the FEC's programmatic interface refused automated requests or were unavailable during the review and were routed around, and Nebraska Public Media's site was under maintenance; Congress.gov figures were read through its public API. A September 2026 SurveyUSA poll is not cited because the pollster's report page could not be read. Degree years, bar or licence records, personal financial disclosures, the dates of his corporate posts and his roll calls on nominations other than the Secretary of Defense were not part of this review. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Historical sources do not imply current positions. The source list provides direct links so readers can check the underlying material. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. The candidate portrait is the official portrait published on the senator's Senate website (ricketts.senate.gov/about, the office's downloadable official photo), a work of the United States Government and therefore in the public domain. No campaign-owned or otherwise copyrighted photograph is used. Inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
Voting in Nebraska: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Nebraska Secretary of State; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Voter registration deadline — onlineOctober 16, 2026, prior to midnight — last day a voter registration can be completed online. The state's online registration FAQ puts the cutoff at 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- Voter registration deadline — by mail or at the DMVOctober 16, 2026 — postmark deadline for mailed-in voter registrations. October 16 is also the last day to complete a registration at the DMV, by close of business. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- Voter registration deadline — in person at the county election officeOctober 23, 2026, at 6 PM — last day for in-person voter registration at the county clerk or election commissioner's office. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- Early voting ballots ready to be mailedSeptember 28, 2026 — deadline for county election offices to have early voting ballots ready for delivery by mail. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- In-person early voting startsOctober 5, 2026 — first day for early voting in person at the county clerk or election commissioner office. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- In-person early voting endsNovember 2, 2026 — last day for early voting in person at the county clerk or election commissioner office. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- Deadline to request an early voting ballot by mailOctober 23, 2026, at 6 PM — last day for the county election office to receive an application for an early voting ballot to be mailed out. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
- Deadline to return an early voting ballot (received, not postmarked)November 3, 2026, 8 PM CT (7 PM MT) — an early voting ballot returned by mail must be in the possession of the county clerk or election commissioner by then. The same deadline applies to ballots returned in person, by agent or in a secure ballot drop-box. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026_Election_Calendar.pdf
Rules to know
- What to bringNebraska requires voters to present photo ID. Accepted: Nebraska driver's license or state ID (from the DMV); Nebraska college ID (public or private); Nebraska political subdivision ID (state, county, city, public school, etc.); U.S. passport; military ID; tribal ID; or a hospital, assisted-living facility, nursing home, hospice or other listed care-facility record that contains the voter's name and photo. The ID must have your name and photo, and it can be expired. A voter with a reasonable impediment to obtaining photo ID may complete a Reasonable Impediment Certification. The Nebraska DMV issues a free state ID for voting purposes. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/voter-id
- Voting early by mailAny registered voter may request an early voting (absentee) ballot; no reason is required. Send the Early Voting Ballot Application to your county clerk or election commissioner by mail, fax, or an emailed scan or picture of the signed form, with your Nebraska driver's license or state ID number, or a photocopy of other acceptable photo ID or a reasonable impediment certification. The ballot must arrive at the county election office by the close of polls on Election Day — by mail, in person, by agent or in a county drop box — and can be tracked in VoterCheck. Per the Secretary of State's Election Day FAQ, 11 counties conduct all elections by mail and voters there receive ballots automatically: Boone, Cedar, Cherry, Clay, Dawes, Dixon, Garden, Knox, Merrick, Morrill and Stanton. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/elections/early-voting
- Voting early in personEarly in-person voting takes place at your county election office (the county clerk or election commissioner). For the November 3, 2026 general election it runs from October 5 through November 2, 2026, the Monday before Election Day. Present an acceptable photo ID, as at the polls. Office addresses and contact details are in the Secretary of State's county election office directory. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/elections/early-voting
- If you vote without IDA registered voter who arrives without acceptable photo ID may go home to retrieve it and return before the polls close to vote a regular ballot. Otherwise the voter is offered a provisional ballot, which counts only if the voter presents acceptable ID to the county election office, in person, on or before the Tuesday following the election — November 10, 2026, on the state's election calendar. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/voter-id
- Voting after a felony convictionThe Secretary of State states that voting rights are restored upon the completion of incarceration plus any period of parole or probation; the person then needs to submit a new voter registration application. A person convicted of treason must apply for a restoration of civil rights before registering to vote. Read from: sos.nebraska.gov/elections/felon-voting-rights
Read from: 2026 Official Election Calendar, State of Nebraska (Primary Election: May 12, 2026; General Election: November 3, 2026) · 2026 Elections | Nebraska Secretary of State · Registering to Vote | Nebraska Secretary of State · Early Voting | Nebraska Secretary of State · Nebraska Secretary of State Early Voting Ballot Application (Statewide General Election on November 3, 2026; updated July 2026) · Voter ID | Nebraska Secretary of State — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
Ideas, questions, corrections
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