James D. Pillen (born December 31, 1955) is an American politician, veterinarian and livestock producer serving as the 41st and current

governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Pillen served on the Nebraska State Board of Regents from 2013 to 2023.

Early life and education

Pillen was born in

Columbus, Nebraska Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the 10th largest city in Nebraska, with 24,028 people as of the 2020 censu ...

. After graduating from Lakeview Junior-Senior High School in 1974, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...

and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1905. History Officially established in 1905, the first reference to veterinary medicine at Kansas State was in 1862. Starting in 1886, students enrolled in agricultu ...

. From 1975 to 1978, Pillen was a defensive back for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium, ...

team under

Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...

. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Career

Pillen is a practicing veterinarian and also works as chair of Pillen Family Farms. The business, which employs members of Pillen's family, acquired DNA Genetics in 2003. Pillen has also worked as president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and chaired the Columbus Community Hospital Board of Directors. He has served on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents (which governs the

University of Nebraska System The University of Nebraska system is the public university system in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Founded in 1869 with one campus in Lincoln, the system has four university campuses and operates a two-year technical agriculture college and a hi ...

) since 2012, and as vice-chair and chair in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Pillen was the Republican nominee in the

2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election The 2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican Governor Pete Ricketts was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. In the general election, Republican Jim ...

. During the Republican primary election, he refused to debate his primary rivals. Pillen was endorsed by incumbent Governor

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 40th governor of Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. He is also, with o ...

and former Governor

Kay A. Orr Kay Avonne Orr (née Stark; January 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, she was the state's first and to date only female governor. Early life and e ...

. In a crowded field of primary candidates, Pillen won the nomination with about 33.75% of the vote, defeating

Charles Herbster Charles W. Herbster (born 1954 or 1955) is an American agribusiness executive, cattle producer, political donor, and politician. He was an agriculture advisor and chairman of Donald Trump's agriculture and rural advisory committee during the Tr ...

(who received 30.13%), Brett Lindstrom (25.68%), and Theresa Thibodeau (6.05%). Pillen's running mate was former U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly. Pillen campaigned on opposing abortion and critical race theory. In the general election, he refused to debate the Democratic nominee, Carol Blood. Pillen was elected governor with 59.9% of the vote to Blood's 36.1% and Libertarian nominee Scott Zimmerman's 4%. He took office on January 5, 2023. One week after being sworn in, he appointed his predecessor,

, to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat left vacant by the resignation of

Ben Sasse Benjamin Eric Sasse ( ; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and academic administrator serving as the junior United States senator for Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sa ...

to become president of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Governor of Nebraska

Elections

2022

Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. Pillen won the gubernatorial election by a 23-point margin. Nebraska's primary elections were held on May 10. Pillen won the Republican nomination, while state senator Carol Blood won the Democratic nomination. The race took on increased importance in October 2022, when U.S. Senator

announced he would resign and Ricketts said he would allow the winner of the 2022 gubernatorial election to appoint Sasse's replacement. Pillen appointed Ricketts to replace Sasse.

Tenure

Personal life

Pillen and his wife, Suzanne, have four children and seven grandchildren. Pillen is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Electoral history

2022 election

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pillen, Jim 1955 births American veterinarians Kansas State University alumni Living people Nebraska Cornhuskers football players People from Columbus, Nebraska People from Platte County, Nebraska Republican Party governors of Nebraska