Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Dec. 27, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — Months after winning Nebraska’s costliest governor’s race, Gov. Jim Pillen set a record in first-year fundraising for the state’s chief executive.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announces former Gov. Pete Ricketts as his choice to fill U.S. Senate vacancy on Jan. 12, 2023, in an announcement at the State Capitol. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner.)
Pillen raised $2.1 million in 2023. That is more than double the next closest number raised by a first-year governor. That came when Gov. Dave Heineman raised $815,000 in 2005, after being elevated to the post from lieutenant governor when Gov. Mike Johanns was named U.S. agriculture secretary.
Heineman needed campaign cash because he faced a May 2006 Republican primary election that included then-U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne. Pillen’s situation is different: His next potential election isn’t until May 2026. So why the early funding push?
Depends on whom you ask.