By Aaron Sanderford
OMAHA — A Nebraska Democrat who considered a 2024 bid for the seat held by appointed U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., announced Friday that he has decided not to run.
Paul Theobald, a former dean of education and counseling at Wayne State College, filed paperwork in June signaling an intent to raise money for a possible Senate campaign.
He said then that he was mulling an underdog challenge of Ricketts and needed a few weeks to decide. On Friday, he told the Nebraska Examiner he couldn’t make it work.
“It’s nothing in particular … just kind of a confluence of forces,” he said. “It just felt like it’s too big of a job.”
One known opponent
Thus far, Ricketts has only one announced opponent seeking to fill the final two years of former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s 2020 term.
That is John Glen Weaver, a Republican who lost a primary election challenge last year against Mike Flood in the 1st Congressional District.
Ricketts was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen to replace i Sasse, who resigned to become president of the University of Florida. Ricketts had been one of Pillen’s top donors and surrogates.
Theobald said he hopes Democrats can find a better candidate. He said Ricketts should be vulnerable, despite the fact that his parents, Joe and Marlene Ricketts, are two of the top GOP donors nationally.
“Obviously, we’re talking about a guy who tried to buy his own Legislature, so I don’t think he should be able to buy his own Senate seat,” Theobald said.
Ricketts has declined to discuss any potential challengers, saying that he remains focused on doing the job he was appointed to do.
Herbster still mulling
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster has said he is considering his options, including a possible Senate bid. He has blamed Ricketts for his loss to Pillen in 2022.
A Herbster staffer said this week that Herbster had made no decision yet about 2024. Herbster has said he is focused on helping former President Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said her party would put strong candidates on the ballot against Ricketts and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who is up for re-election in 2024.
“We are committed to recruiting candidates that Nebraskans of all political stripes can support instead of the status quo politics of Ricketts and Fischer,” Kleeb said.