Loading...
Former Republican Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts defeated Democratic Challenger Preston Love Jr. to serve in the U.S. Senate until 2026. The race was called by the Associated Press in favor of Ricketts at around 8:15 p.m., roughly 15 minutes after the polls closed.
Nebraskans are electing two U.S. senators in this year’s election cycle for the first time since 1954.
In addition to Sen. Deb Fischer’s six-year seat, the special election for Ricketts’ seat was also on this year’s ballot thanks to former Sen. Ben Sasse’s October 2022 resignation.
Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Ricketts to serve as Senator until the next special election could be held this year.
Ricketts had the endorsement of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and a majority of state senators in Nebraska legislature.
Thank you, Nebraska! pic.twitter.com/HaNjX3o4TL
— Pete Ricketts (@PeteRicketts) November 6, 2024
Love Jr. released the following statement on Election Night:
"I spoke with Senator Pete Ricketts and thanked him for running a clean campaign with me. We agreed to sit down in the coming weeks to discuss how we can better serve all Nebraskans - even the projected 300,000+ who did not vote for him. I still believe that Nebraskans deserve access to affordable healthcare, reproductive rights, voting rights, and thriving economies in rural and urban areas of the state. Tonight, we know that hundreds of thousands of Nebraska voters agree. I want to thank all of the supporters who have been with us throughout this campaign."