By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner
Governor, making case for reelection, speaks of need for bipartisanship and belittles critics
LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, in a tele-town hall call organized Tuesday to tout his final proposals before a reelection campaign, made property tax relief his calling card and asked conservative Nebraskans to rally legislative support or send him three more votes in the Legislature.
In a sharpened tone that seemed aimed at riling up his base for a possible GOP primary, the governor criticized Democrats and the media and called some of his critics names while saying he prefers bipartisanship because Nebraskans are “tired of politics.”
Pillen repeated his recent frustration with how some of his budget-cutting proposals are being covered, saying reporters have “bent” stories and won’t get the “facts out.” Most of Pillen’s proposals to cut about $500 million in state spending target the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, including a program paying for often in-home family caregivers of the elderly and people with disabilities, changes some lawmakers oppose.
Nebraska is trying to close a $471 million budget hole that has grown during an economic slowdown in agriculture and in the wake of Pillen seeking and passing stair-stepped income tax cuts that are about to finish phasing in at the same time he has increased state spending on local property tax relief.
The governor calls the discussion of the deficit a “make-believe budget crisis.” Legislative leaders, including Speaker John Arch, have described closing the budget gap as the most important task facing the Legislature.
Pillen also recently faced questions over some of his handling of state funds, including an Examiner story that Pillen steered the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to award a $2.5 million no-bid emergency contract to a bioeconomy consultant and lobbyist he knew. The Governor’s Office touts hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds the state gained. State Auditor Mike Foley argues the state should still have followed its own processes and law.
The call’s co-host with Pillen made plain the call’s tone with a question about how reporters had misled the public about progress under Pillen. He praised the governor for standing for conservative Nebraska “values.”
“I don’t really give a damn what those libtards and these people that want to criticize, quite honestly, the more they criticize me and our team and my family, [I know] we’re doing good work,” Pillen said.
The town hall host asked callers what the most important issues were for them during the 2026 legislative session.
The options he gave callers were straight out of “The Pillen Playbook,” a campaign handout Pillen shared during the 2022 campaign and tweaked for 2026: “Protect our kids, fix the property tax crisis, defend Nebraska values, bolster Nebraska agriculture and winner-take-all.”
The host said listeners chose property taxes as the most important issue. Pillen said the people he talked to during his tour of the state want lawmakers “to solve problems” – pointing to what he called the “property tax crisis.”
He said if people want “transformative” property tax reform, he needs three more legislative conservatives to “play ball on the team and make sure that we can broaden our sales tax so that there can be dollar-for-dollar property tax relief.” His talk of needing three votes could signal confidence in GOP pickup opportunities this fall in legislative races. It also could hint that the governor is looking to primary some legislative Republicans opposing his agenda.
Property tax relief has been a top Pillen priority since the 2022 GOP primary. He and the Legislature have taken both incremental and significant steps, including making a billion-dollar investment in special education and a foundation or baseline level of state aid for K-12 schools.
This year, Pillen has asked lawmakers for $170 million in property tax relief. He has said such an effort will require looking at eliminating some sales tax exemptions that lawmakers have balked at before.
Pillen said he needs a second term to provide more property tax relief.
“That’s why reelection is so critical,” Pillen said.
Several Republican operatives expect Pillen to draw at least one GOP primary challenger, partly because of local and national polling numbers that indicate the incumbent governor could be vulnerable. Multistate agribusinessman Charles Herbster has hinted he might challenge Pillen but has not announced a bid. Some have discussed another potential Republican challenger.
But Pillen has a $10 million campaign war chest and the benefits of incumbency, so a challenger would need to raise a significant sum. On Wednesday, former State Sen. Lynne Walz announced a Democratic bid for governor.
Many of the Pillen call’s themes sounded similar notes from his State of the State address. He praised President Donald Trump, who has endorsed his bid, and touted his relationship with the president. He bragged about the state hosting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility for migrants in McCook. He said the state is pushing back against diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. And he emphasized running the state “like a business.”
“It’s time we stand up and get rid of some of this stuff that’s invaded our state,” Pillen said. “It’s time we fight like heck for it.”
The host asked Pillen if Nebraska is becoming liberal. Pillen said Nebraskans “are so conservative and so straight … I don’t think we can curl our hair anymore.” He said Nebraskans still care about faith, family, hard work and the American dream.
Then the governor said, “If you listen to the keyboard warriors that are libtards … you would think the sky is falling down.”
Some snickering and laughing could be heard in the background after Pillen said it. Pillen used the term two more times Tuesday evening. He called protestors who wear red robes and white bonnets “libtards” who have “lost their brains.” And, later, he made a similar comment about his critics and the press.
Pillen closed his town hall by saying this election is important for conservatives. He encouraged them to vote in the May and November midterm elections.