by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) resigned his seat in the US Senate on Sunday in order to take a new position as President of the University of Florida. While he had been wishy-washy on some things, Sasse was strong on gun rights and voted against the so-called Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022.
Today, Gov. Jim Pillen (R-NE) announced that his immediate predecessor, former Gov. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) would be appointed to fill the position.
In terms of gun rights, Ricketts should be great. He pledged to sign a constitutional carry bill at the NSSF Governors’ Forum held at the SHOT Show last year. Unfortunately, it did not reach his desk due to a couple of wishy-washy Republicans standing in the way. Ricketts was in favor of the right to open carry in the Nebraska Capitol building. As the tweet below makes clear, he objects to Biden’s gun control agenda.
Banning guns will not solve the underlying problems that have resulted in these tragedies. Nebraska is a pro-Second Amendment state, and we will stand up against any attempt by the federal government to expand gun laws and impede our freedoms. #2A https://t.co/S4lrYaqGpz
— Gov. Pete Ricketts (@GovRicketts) March 25, 2021
Ricketts will serve for the next two years and then will have to run again for a full term. He has indicated he plans to run in 2024.
Ricketts and his family are large contributors to conservative causes including a $1.4 million contribution to the PAC Conservative Nebraska. Ricketts’ father Joe was the founder of the brokerage TD Ameritrade. Charles Schwab Corporation purchased TD Ameritriade in 2020 for $22 billion. The Ricketts family also owns a 95% controlling interest in the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
Of course, Nebraska Democrats are miffed about it. They claim Ricketts’ appointment is merely pay-to-play payback by Gov. Pillen for a large campaign contribution. Whatever.