Quick Hit: Ricketts’ Riches

THE SKINNY: 

In the decade that he was running for and serving as governor, Pete Ricketts and his family spent at least $9.8 million on Nebraska political campaigns and causes.

The family – mostly the governor and his parents – delivered money far and wide.

They funneled money to all levels of government: high-profile ballot measures, low-level local races and PACs that bolstered candidates or attacked them. They spent heavily in races for the Nebraska Legislature, the body that can advance or curb a governor’s agenda. 

That spending spiked when Ricketts first ran for the state’s top job, jumping to 5% of all recorded Nebraska political giving. 

And it spiked again as he prepared to leave office, when they spent $5.4 million – much of it funneled to electing his successor, Jim Pillen. A week after taking office, Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate.

In that cycle, the Ricketts family’s money made up more than 7% of all political giving to every political campaign and cause in Nebraska.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Such spending by the chief of the state’s executive branch appears unprecedented in Nebraska. The Flatwater Free Press analyzed records from the state campaign finance commission, which go back as far as 1995. It also interviewed every living former governor.

“Legally, any American citizen can contribute whatever they want to a (Nebraska) campaign,” said former Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican. “I think it’s viewed differently when you’re a sitting governor and you’re making significant contributions to legislative races, primarily, to impact who might get elected who would reflect your views in terms of policy.”

Republican Matt Williams, a former state senator, found himself targeted by a campaign funded almost entirely by the Ricketts family. When he was in the Unicameral, he voted against Pete Ricketts’ wishes on a handful of occasions.

Ricketts and allies said his political giving is simply guided by attempts to elect conservative political candidates who can win.

But others question whether that spending – particularly while Ricketts was governor – is appropriate, noting that the combo of power and money can influence elections and policy making.

“I think any governor – not just Ricketts – any governor has significant influence,” Williams said. “When you couple a governor that also has financial resources, that doubles down.”