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 other family members, a part owner of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. In 2006, he ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Ben Nelson, losing in a landslide. He ran for the Nebraska governorship in 2014, narrowly winning a six-way Republican primary, and defeated Democratic Party nominee Chuck Hassebrook, 57% to 39%. He was reelected in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Bob Krist, 59% to 41%.

Early life and education

Ricketts was born in Nebraska City on August 19, 1964, the oldest of four children of Joe Ricketts and Marlene (Volkmer) Ricketts. The family later moved to Omaha. Joe Ricketts founded First Omaha Securities in 1975, one of the first discount stockbrokers in the United States. It prospered, changing its name to Ameritrade, going public in 1997, and changing its name to TD Ameritrade after acquiring TD Waterhouse in 2006."Governor Pete Ricketts".National Governors Association.
Archived from th
original
April 20, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.Smith, Bryan
"The Ricketts Family Owns the Chicago Cubs: Who Are These People?".''Chicago''.
June 24, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2016.Reingold, Jennifer (September 21, 2012)
"Joe Ricketts: The new billionaire political activist".''Fortune''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017.Hauser, Jeanne (October 31, 2016)
''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017. Marlene was a teacher.

Ricketts and his siblings, Tom, Laura, and Todd, all attended Westside High School in Omaha, from which Ricketts graduated in 1982. He attended the University of Chicago, receiving a BA in biology in 1986 and an MBA in marketing and finance in 1991.Rendell,
Aren (January 23, 2015)
"Q&A with Governor of Nebraska and Westside alum Pete Ricketts".''Westside Wired''.
Archived fro
original
March 15, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2017.Greenberg, Jon
"Here's the pitch".''University of Chicago Magazine''.
July–August 2010. Archived fro
original
November 7, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

Career

After completing graduate school, Ricketts returned to Omaha. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for a year, then as a salesman for a Chicago environmental consultant. In 1993, he went to work for his father's business, initially in the call center for a few months, and subsequently appointed by his father to a number of executive positions, ultimately becoming the company's chief operating officer during his father's tenure as CEO. In a 2006 report, he stated his net worth at between $45million and $50million."About Governor Pete Ricketts".Office of Governor Pete Ricketts.
Archived fro
original
June 25, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.Cordes, Henry J. (March 24, 2014)
''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017.

In 1997, Ricketts married Susanne Shore. A native of Garden City, Kansas, Shore grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and earned a bachelor's degree in English and then an MBA from Oklahoma State University. After a stint working for the dean of students at the University of South Dakota, she came to Omaha to complete a one-year course in nursing at Creighton University. At the time of her marriage to Ricketts, she was working as a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha. Ricketts and Shore have three children.Cordes, Henry J. (February 9, 2015)
"Nebraska, meet your new First Lady".''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017.Moore, Kathryn Cates (February 14, 2015)

ttp://journalstar.com/ ''Lincoln Journal Star''.Retrieved August 20, 2017.

In 2006, Ricketts left Ameritrade to run for the U.S. Senate. After his loss to incumbent Ben Nelson, he returned to the company's board, remaining until the Ricketts family relinquished its board seats in 2016.Hubbard, Russell (December 5, 2013)
"End of an era: Ricketts family members to relinquish TD Ameritrade board seats in 2016".''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017.

In 2007, Ricketts co-founded, and became director and president of the Platte Institute for Economic Research, which he called a "free market think tank","Platte Institute Unveiled".Platte Institute.
Archived fro
original
June 2, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2017. and which Nebraska newspapers have called "conservative".O'Hanlon, Kevin (January 1, 2014)

Retrieved August 20, 2017. He resigned from the organization in 2013 to concentrate on his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. From 2007 to 2012, Ricketts was a national committeeman for the Republican National Committee; from 2007 to 2013, he was a trustee of the American Enterprise Institute.''2016–17 Nebraska Blue Book"
p. 418. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

In 2009, the Ricketts family trust bought the Chicago Cubs baseball team from Tribune Media. Ricketts and his siblings occupied four of the five seats on the team's board of directors; as of 2018, the four continued to hold those seats. Due to this, Ricketts has a 2016 World Series title to his credit, as the Cubs won the championship that year (fulfilling a pledge he had made in 2009 during the press conference to announce the family's purchase of the team, when he and his brother Tom guaranteed a World Series win for the Cubs under their ownership)."Front Office Directory".That's Cub (official Chicago Cubs website).
Archived fro
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June 24, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

Ricketts is a Roman Catholic. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

2006 U.S. Senate campaign

Ricketts was the 2006 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Ben Nelson. His opponents in the primary were former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and former state Republican chairman David Kramer. Ricketts spent nearly $5 million of his own money, outspending his opponents 10–1 in winning the nomination.

Ricketts received some high-profile campaign assistance, most notably from President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush appeared at a campaign rally for Ricketts on November 5, 2006, just days before the election, in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Ricketts ran on a conservative platform, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, immigration reform, and agriculture, as well as championing a socially conservative platform opposing same-sex marriage and abortion. In all, he contributed $11,302,078 of his own money to his campaign, triggering the Millionaire's Amendment which allowed his opponent to raise larger amounts from each donor. He spent more money than any Senate candidate in Nebraska history, but lost to Nelson by a margin of 36%–64%.

Governor of Nebraska

2014 election

In the 2014 election, Ricketts ran for the Nebraska governorship. The incumbent, Dave Heineman, was barred by Nebraska's term-limits law from running for reelection.Tobias, Mike (September 19, 2013)
"2014 Shaping Up As A Chaotic Election Year In Nebraska".NET (Nebraska PBS and NPR system).
Retrieved August 20, 2017. Two candidates considered strong contenders for the Republican nomination withdrew by early 2013: lieutenant governor Rick Sheehy, who was embroiled in a scandal; and Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, whose wife had been diagnosed with cancer."Nebraska Governor's Race: What's Next?".WOWT News.
February 3, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2017. Ricketts officially joined the race in September 2013, at which point he and state auditor Mike Foley were regarded as early front-runners in a race that also included state senators Charlie Janssen, Beau McCoy, and Tom Carlson.Walton, Don (September 8, 2013)
"Ricketts looks forward to changing skeptics' minds".''Lincoln Journal Star''.
Retrieved August 20, 2017. In February 2014, Janssen withdrew,Tsyver, Robynn (February 3, 2014)
''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20,
2017. and state attorney general Jon Bruning declared his candidacy. Despite his late entrance, Bruning supplanted Ricketts as the perceived front-runner.Tsyver, Robynn (February 9, 2014)
"Attorney General Jon Bruning to run for Nebraska governor".''Omaha World-Herald''.
Retrieved August 20,

Ricketts won the May 2014 primary with 26.6% of the vote. Bruning received 25.5%; McCoy, 20.9%; Foley, 19.2%; Carlson, 4.1%; and Omaha attorney Bryan Slone, 3.7%."Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 13, 2014".
pp. 19–20. Retrieved August 20, 2017. In the general election, Ricketts faced Chuck Hassebrook, who had run unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Hassebrook was a former member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, and former director of the Center for Rural Affairs, which calls itself "a leading nonprofit organization with a national reputation for progressive rural advocacy and policy work".Knapp, Fred (May 14, 2014)
"Ricketts, Hassebrook Offer Contrasts In Race For Governor".NET (Nebraska PBS and NPR system).
Retrieved August 20,
2017.Francis, Casey (November 2, 2015)
"Are you ready to work for rural America?"Center for Rural Affairs.
Retrieved August 20, 2017. Ricketts advocated tax reductions; Hassebrook argued that Ricketts's proposed cuts would primarily benefit the rich and deprive the state of funds for what he called needed public services. Ricketts opposed the proposed expansion of Medicaid under the provisions of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Hassebrook favored the expansion. Ricketts opposed an increase in the state's minimum wage; Hassebrook supported it.

Over the course of the general-election campaign, Ricketts outspent Hassebrook by a considerable margin. In the last spending report filed before the election, he stated that he had loaned his campaign $930,000, and that the organization had spent about $6.0 million. Hassebrook reported expenditures of slightly more than $2.5 million.Quinlan, Mary Kay (November 2, 2014)
"Campaign spending climbs for statewide executive branch races".KRVN radio.
Retrieved August 20, 2017.

In the general election, Ricketts received 57.1% of the vote to Hassebrook's 39.2%. Libertarian Mark G. Elworth Jr. received 3.5%, and write-in votes accounted for 0.1%."Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2014".
pp. 13–14. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

2018 election

On June 5, 2017, Ricketts announced his candidacy for reelection. During his speech, he said "lowering property taxes" would be his main concern if he were reelected. Ricketts also asked Nebraskans to "rehire" Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley. Ricketts was reelected on November 6 with 59.0% of the vote.

Tenure

Ricketts was inaugurated as the 40th governor of Nebraska at the Nebraska State Capitol on January 8, 2015.

2015 session

Among the "most significant"Knapp, Fred (June 3, 2015)
"2015 Legislature Leaves Its Mark On Nebraska".NET
(Nebraska public radio and television). Retrieved June 4, 2015. actions the legislature took in its 2015 session were three bills that passed over Ricketts's veto. LB268 repealed the state's death penalty; LB623 reversed the state's previous policy of denying driver's licenses to people who were living illegally in the U.S. after being brought to the country as children, and who had been granted exemption from deportation under the Barack Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; and LB610 increased the tax on gasoline to pay for repairs to roads and bridges.Walton, Don (May 28, 2015)
"Senators override Ricketts' veto of Dreamers licenses".''Lincoln Journal Star''.
Retrieved June 4, 2015.Pluhacek, Zach (May 7, 2015)

ttp://journalstar.com/ ''Lincoln Journal Star''.Retrieved June 4, 2015.

After Ricketts's veto of the death-penalty repeal was overridden, capital-punishment proponents launched a petition drive to reverse the legislature's action. Their efforts gathered enough signatures to suspend the repeal until a public vote could be held. Capital-punishment opponents then filed a lawsuit arguing that the petition should be invalidated on the grounds that Ricketts, who had contributed $200,000 to the campaign, was "the primary initiating force" for the petition drive and should have been included in the list of sponsors required by Nebraska law.Martin, Brent (September 29, 2015)
"Gov. Ricketts denies being a sponsor of the death penalty petition drive".Nebraska Radio Network.
Retrieved December 27, 2015.Duggan, Joe (November 16, 2015)

ttp://www.omaha.com/ ''Omaha World-Herald''.Retrieved December 27, 2015. In February 2016, a Lancaster County district judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Ricketts's financial support of the petition effort did not ipso facto make him a sponsor. The plaintiffs appealed the issue to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which upheld the district court's dismissal. The referendum was held in the 2016 general election and the death penalty was retained with 61.2% of the vote.

2016 session

In its 2016 session, the legislature passed three bills that Ricketts vetoed. LB580 would have created an independent commission of citizens to draw new district maps following censuses; supporters described it as an attempt to depoliticize the redistricting process, while Ricketts maintained that the bill delegated the legislature's constitutional duty of redistricting to "an unelected and unaccountable board". The bill's sponsor, John Murante, opted not to seek an override of the veto.Matheny, Ryan
"Nebraska legislators wrap up 2016 session".KMA.
April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.Nohr, Emily

ttp://www.omaha.com/ ''Omaha World-Herald''.April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016."Independent redistricting commission vetoed, no override attempt offered".''Unicameral Update''.
April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016. A second vetoed bill, LB935, would have changed state audit procedures; it passed by a margin of 37–8, with 4 present and not voting. The bill was withdrawn without an attempt to override the veto; the state auditor agreed to work with Ricketts on a new version for the next year's session."Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation".
pp. 1579–80. Retrieved April 29, 2016. A third bill, LB947, made DACA beneficiaries eligible for commercial and professional licenses in Nebraska. The bill passed the legislature on a vote of 33–11–5; the veto override passed 31–13–5.Duggan, Joe

ttp://www.omaha.com/ ''Omaha World-Herald''.April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016."Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation".
Passage of LB947 is on p. 1614; the veto override is on pp. 1637–38. Retrieved April 29, 2016.

At the 2016 Republican state convention, Ricketts denounced several legislators who had failed to support his and the party's positions on various bills, and called for the election of more "platform Republicans" to the officially nonpartisan legislature. In response to this, 13 legislators, including five registered Republicans, released a statement in which they accused Ricketts of placing partisanship above principle. One of the signers of the statement, Laura Ebke, changed her registration from Republican to Libertarian shortly thereafter, citing Ricketts's speech as one of the factors that drove her to make the change.Szalewski, Susan
"Responding to Ricketts' 'platform Republicans' comment, 13 Nebraska lawmakers call for nonpartisanship".''Omaha World-Herald''.
June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.Duggan, Joe

ttp://www.omaha.com/ ''Omaha World-Herald''. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.Walton, Don
"Ebke bolts GOP after Ricketts speech".''Lincoln Journal Star''.
June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.

2017 session

In its 2017 session, the Ricketts administration merged two agencies. The Department of Transportation was formed from the merging of the Department of Roads and Department of Aeronautics. This merger was led by Senator Friesen. Senator Murante led the merger of the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Division of Veterans' Homes into the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs. Ricketts signed both merger bills into law in the spring of 2017.

Ricketts signed various bills designed to strengthen Nebraska communities. LB 518 created various grants to counties to construct workforce housing. The legislature also passed 2 anti-abortion bills, the first in his tenure. LB46 created a "Choose Life" license plate, and LB506 provided information about perinatal hospice care to pregnant women diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly.

2018 session

In the start of the 2018 to 2019 biannual session, Ricketts highlighted various bills as his key priorities. In 2018 Ricketts signed LB 1040, which creates commemorative certificates of nonviable birth for miscarriages. Ricketts used this bill to point out that it "affirms the pre-born baby's dignity, ndit also provides closure to mothers, fathers, and families who are grappling with the pain and heartache of losing a child." 6Ricketts goes on to highlight various property and tax relief bills that he signed during the session. Ricketts vetoed a notable bill, LB350, which would've set aside criminal convictions for murders, human trafficking, and other violent criminals. Ricketts said, "This bill sends the wrong message to victims of crime and society. It represents poor public policy."

2019 session

During the legislature's 2019 session, Ricketts approved various budgets and tax cuts. LB 103 stopped automatic property tax increases. Ricketts also spearheaded the project to increase the Property Tax Credit Relief Fund by $51 million for a total of $550 million in direct property tax relief from 2019 to 2021. Ricketts merged two state agencies, the Department of Environment and the Department of Energy, into one, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

2020 session

In 2020, Ricketts signed numerous laws passed by the legislature, including property and veterans tax relief bills, dismemberment abortion bans, and flood and pandemic relief. In 2020, Ricketts was able to accomplish some State workforce reforms, providing a new partnership between Peru State College and the Nebraska Department of Corrections, to provide a path for students to go from the classroom into Corrections workforce. Ricketts also accomplished an infrastructure bill, allowing for funding to repair the Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation Canal after it collapsed in 2019.

= 2020 Black Lives Matter protests

=
During a meeting on June 1, 2020, Ricketts allegedly used the phrase "The problem I have with you people" while talking to a room mostly full of black pastors and black community leaders, when pastor Jarrod Parker walked out. It was later revealed that Ricketts said "you guys", not "you people". Ricketts apologized for his choice of words.

= COVID-19 pandemic

=

In June 2020, Ricketts threatened to withhold $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief if local governments in Nebraska required people who entered courthouses and other local government offices to wear face masks. Face masks had been recommended by health experts and authorities as an effective way to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

In October 2021, Ricketts ordered Nebraska state agencies not to comply with the federal government's vaccine requirements for employees.

2021 session

Ricketts called the 2021 session "historic," as it passed multiple key priorities he highlighted in his January 2021 State of the State address. These included property and veterans tax relief, broadband infrastructure, and locking in the state's budget. The session limited budget growth to 2.4% annually. Ricketts's veterans tax relief program gave Nebraska veterans a 100% exemption on military retirement benefits. Ricketts signed legislation to support military spouses licensed in another state to obtain teaching permits after moving to Nebraska. He signed into law a bill that gives private schools $3 million in funding for textbook loans and $1 billion to support public K-12 education. Ricketts also passed career scholarship reform, giving public, private, and community colleges and universities state scholarship support.

2022 session

After the 2022 legislative session, Ricketts praised the senators for passing legislation on his key priorities. The legislature authorized construction of a canal to protect Nebraska's legal entitlement to South Platte River flowing into the state from Colorado. Ricketts also signed bills to further develop Nebraska's water infrastructure, construct new marinas at Lake McConaughy and Lewis and Clark Lake, and create a 3,600-acre reservoir between Lincoln and Omaha.

Political positions

Abortion

Ricketts supports a total ban of abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Critical race theory

In 2021, amid a nationwide Republican effort to prohibit or restrict instruction of critical race theory, Ricketts said he opposed critical race theory. Asked to explain what critical race theory was, Ricketts said it was "one that really starts creating those divisions between us about defining who we are based on race and that sort of thing and really not about how to bring us together as Americans rather than—and dividing us and also having a lot of very socialist-type ideas about how that would be implemented in our state." Ricketts also called it "Marxist" and "really un-American."

Death penalty

Ricketts supports the death penalty. In 2015, he vetoed a bill to abolish capital punishment in Nebraska, but the legislature overrode his veto. In 2016, Ricketts spent part of his family fortune to finance a referendum to reinstate capital punishment in the state. The referendum passed, and in 2018 the state executed Carey Dean Moore, the first inmate put to death in the state in 21 years. Ricketts, a Catholic, rebuffed calls from the Catholic Church to halt executions.

Donald Trump

Ricketts criticized the impeachment of Donald Trump over his request that Ukraine start an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden. Ricketts said the impeachment proceedings were a "partisan impeachment parade" and praised the Senate for acquitting Trump.

Cannabis

Ricketts opposes legalization of medicinal cannabis. In 2019, he said that its "medicinal value has not been tested", and cited studies suggesting that cannabis adversely affects brain functions. He also pointed to overdoses of the synthetic cannabinoid K2 as a "reminder of how dangerous cannabis can be". In 2021, while the Nebraska legislature was contemplating legalizing medical cannabis, he claimed, "If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids. That’s what the data shows from around the country."

Environment

Ricketts opposed the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He supported the Keystone XL Pipeline, saying it would "create jobs here in Nebraska, lots of tax revenues here in Nebraska, of course help us become less dependent on foreign oil."

In 2021, Ricketts said he opposed a proposal by President Joe Biden to preserve 30% of the nation's land and water by 2030, calling it a "radical climate agenda."

Civil rights

Before becoming governor, Ricketts supported an initiative to ban affirmative action in Nebraska, donating $15,000 to the group behind the effort. Upon being sworn in as governor, Ricketts appointed former attorney Manra Munn as the executive director of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission. In 2020, Munn was sued for failing to hire Latinos onto the commission.

Political contributions

In July 2022, Ricketts contributed $250,000 to a political action committee created to oppose the U.S. Senate campaign of Eric Greitens in advance of Missouri's August primary election.

Electoral history

2006 election

2014 election

2018 election

References

External links

Governor of Nebraska
official government site

Pete Ricketts for Governor
official campaign site
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2006 CD1 campaign funding for Pete Ricketts

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricketts, Pete
1964 births
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American politicians
American business executives
American Roman Catholics
Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska
Candidates in the 2006 United States elections
Chicago Cubs owners
Republican Party governors of Nebraska
Living people
People from Nebraska City, Nebraska
Ricketts family
Toronto-Dominion Bank people
University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni