Trump endorses Pillen in his run for reelection

Gov. Jim Pillen has gotten a key endorsement in his run for reelection.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said Pillen has his, “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Pillen, in a news release, said he is, “deeply honored to have earned President Trump’s endorsement for reelection as governor.”

“Conservative leadership matters, as he has proved time and again — and we’ll keep working hard to make Nebraska stronger,” Pillen said.

The endorsement is significant because Trump did not endorse Pillen when he was running for governor four years ago, instead throwing his support behind Falls City businessman Charles Herbster, who lost to Pillen in a three-way primary race. Herbster, who is a longtime Trump supporter also said last fall that Trump considered appointing him to be U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Herbster, who in social media posts over the past few weeks has sounded like he is mulling a run for governor, said he was “disappointed,” but found it, “entirely reasonable that (Trump) would endorse the incumbent Republican governor.”

“His endorsement does not change my commitment to fully explore a run for Governor,” Herbster said in a statement posted on social media.

“This race is not about President Trump. It is about hard-working Nebraskans trying to make ends meet,” Herbster said. “It is about our farmers and ranchers, who have been asked to sacrifice for far too long. It is about the businesses trying to grow and bring jobs to our state, only to be met with roadblocks and mismanagement from this administration.”

Herbster ended his post by saying, “today, I am more inclined to run than I was just a few days ago.”