Aaron Sanderford
OMAHA — Preston Love Jr., a Nebraska Democrat who managed Jesse Jackson’s groundbreaking presidential campaign at the national level in 1984, announced an upstart bid for the U.S. Senate Wednesday using similar language about the challenges ahead.
Love, an 81-year-old neighborhood advocate, civil rights activist and campaign hand, said he knows that many people will view his bid as futile: He is challenging GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1.
But Love urged a gathering of more than 100 people at the Highlander in North Omaha to find their faith. He described their joint effort as David to Ricketts’ Goliath. He told them to “gather their stones.”
“The people that I’ve been serving … need a giant killer,” he said, to applause. “Just like David. But David was something else that maybe you missed in your studies. He stood up strong and was confident. … I am confident.”
He said he needed his supporters to be just as confident as he is. He said they could work together to protect voting rights, restrict assault weapons, protect a woman’s right to choose an abortion, fight climate change and “advocate for people, not parties.”
Write-in candidate last time
Four years ago, Love ran for the Senate under different circumstances: He stepped in as a write-in candidate in 2020 to offer Democrats a backup choice to the Democratic nominee, who had lost the party’s backing partway through the campaign. Love said that in this year’s race, he hopes to help boost Democratic turnout in races up and down the ballot.
He has some experience in that area, having helped organize Black Votes Matter, a group aimed at raising political awareness in North Omaha. He said he wants all Nebraskans to exercise their power to vote.
He mentioned two other races he said he could help Nebraska Democrats win: the presidential race, where the state splits its Electoral College votes by congressional district, and the 2nd District U.S. House race, a swing district with traditionally close contests.
In an interview after announcing, Love said he doesn’t have an easy answer on motivating people in low-turnout communities to vote. He said he and others must work to restore people’s hope in the voting process.
Love said his goal as a senator would be to build bridges between himself and people who don’t live or think like him. He understands that many Nebraskans will disagree with him on issues, but he says they have more in common than not.
Ricketts’ appointment
He said he knows Nebraskans on both sides of the aisle who don’t like how Ricketts got the job. Ricketts was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen, his successor as governor, after Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., was hired as the president of the University of Florida and vacated his seat mid-term.
“You can’t just make all that stuff happen and think people don’t see it all, and that everybody just doesn’t care because they love you,” Love said of Ricketts’ appointment.
Ricketts and Pillen have denied that any conspiracy or promise was tied to his January 2023 appointment. Pillen has said he interviewed candidates and picked the best one.
In a statement, the Ricketts campaign said the senator is focused on pushing back on President Joe Biden’s “reckless spending and overregulation.” It said he “looks forward to continuing to serve Nebraskans in the US Senate in 2025.”
Love will face Democrat Todd Newbold of Omaha in the Democratic primary in May. Several Nebraska Democrats in recent days said they did not know Newbold. A Facebook account in his name said he is a Democrat supporting former President Donald Trump.
Ricketts faces Republican John Glen Weaver in May. Weaver, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, lost a 1st District House GOP primary in 2022 to U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb. He has argued Ricketts should be more supportive of Trump.
Ricketts has not endorsed in the 2024 GOP presidential race.
Local political observers, including University of Nebraska at Omaha political scientist Randall Adkins, consider Ricketts the clear frontrunner in the race. Ricketts has been elected twice statewide by nearly 20-point margins, he said.
He also has advantages in name ID, incumbency and fundraising that will be difficult for any candidate to match. But Love, citing a biblical reference, urged Democrats, independents and like-minded Republicans to pick up their stones and fight.
“Anybody can be your senator,” Love said. “It doesn’t have to be special. It might just be a David in your midst.”