Former Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed as newest senator from Nebraska

On Thursday morning, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) appointed former Gov. Pete Ricketts to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

“It was clear the person for the job was Senator-designate Pete Ricketts,” Pillen said at a press conference.

Ricketts will fill a vacancy left by Ben Sasse (R), who formally resigned on Sunday and is stepping down to become the president of the University of Florida. Sasse was first elected in 2014 and won reelection in 2020. Sasse is known for being a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, and he was one of the few Republicans who voted to convict him after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

The new senator is a Trump ally; Ricketts praised the Senate for acquitting the former president in what he called a “partisan impeachment parade.” While he was governor, Ricketts supported a total abortion ban, keeping medicinal cannabis illegal and opposed climate action. Ricketts and his siblings are one of the wealthiest families in America.

In addition to being the co-owners of the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family is heavily involved with politics, and they frequently donate to Republican super PACs. Trump appointed Pete’s brother Todd to be the deputy secretary of commerce in 2016. In 2018, Todd Ricketts was also named the finance chairman for the Republican National Committee.

A major ally in Pillen’s recent election campaign, Pete Ricketts will serve as a U.S. senator for the next two years before a special election is needed in 2024 to fill out the rest of Sasse’s term.