Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, the incumbent. Every point on this page links to its source. We don't grade candidates or tell you how to vote. As of 2026-09-28.
In Congress: 97 bills and resolutions sponsored, 775 cosponsored, 1 became law on their own (a bill folded into a larger law isn't counted). Congress.gov
Every Supreme Court confirmation while in the Senate, and Cabinet confirmations in the last two Congresses. Senate records, newest first.
Cabinet
Voted Yea on Todd Blanche, Attorney General (2026-08-08, Confirmed 50–49, roll call)
Voted Yea on Walter Clayton, Director of National Intelligence (2026-07-28, Confirmed 51–47, roll call)
Voted Yea on Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security (2026-03-23, Confirmed 54–45, roll call)
Voted Yea on Michael G. Waltz, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations (2025-09-19, Confirmed 47–43, roll call)
Voted Yea on Troy Meink, Secretary of the Air Force (2025-05-13, Confirmed 74–25, roll call)
Voted Not Voting on John Phelan, Secretary of the Navy (2025-03-24, Confirmed 62–30, roll call)
Voted Yea on Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor (2025-03-10, Confirmed 67–32, roll call)
Voted Yea on Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education (2025-03-03, Confirmed 51–45, roll call)
Voted Yea on Daniel Driscoll, Secretary of the Army (2025-02-25, Confirmed 66–28, roll call)
Voted Yea on Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (2025-02-19, Confirmed 52–46, roll call)
Voted Yea on Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce (2025-02-18, Confirmed 51–45, roll call)
Voted Yea on Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture (2025-02-13, Confirmed 72–28, roll call)
Voted Yea on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (2025-02-13, Confirmed 52–48, roll call)
Voted Yea on Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence (2025-02-12, Confirmed 52–48, roll call)
Voted Yea on Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (2025-02-06, Confirmed 53–47, roll call)
Voted Yea on Eric Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2025-02-05, Confirmed 55–44, roll call)
Voted Yea on Pamela Bondi, Attorney General (2025-02-04, Confirmed 54–46, roll call)
Voted Yea on Douglas Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2025-02-04, Confirmed 77–23, roll call)
Voted Yea on Christopher Wright, Secretary of Energy (2025-02-03, Confirmed 59–38, roll call)
Voted Yea on Douglas Burgum, Secretary of the Interior (2025-01-30, Confirmed 80–17, roll call)
Voted Yea on Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2025-01-29, Confirmed 56–42, roll call)
Voted Yea on Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation (2025-01-28, Confirmed 77–22, roll call)
Voted Yea on Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury (2025-01-27, Confirmed 68–29, roll call)
Voted Yea on Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security (2025-01-25, Confirmed 59–34, roll call)
Voted Yea on Peter Hegseth, Secretary of Defense (2025-01-24, Confirmed 50–50, roll call)
Voted Yea on John Ratcliffe, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2025-01-23, Confirmed 74–25, roll call)
Voted Yea on Marco Rubio, Secretary of State (2025-01-20, Confirmed 99–0, roll call)
Accurate?
Where they stand
In their own words, from their campaign and official websites, summarised in plain English. Under each issue, their Senate votes: Final passage votes in the Senate in the last two Congresses (2023 to now), matched to each issue by Congress.gov's own topic for the bill (and its subject tags, unless it is a catch-all bill with dozens), closest votes first: a lopsided vote says little about where anyone stands.
Economy and cost of living
Ricketts says he wants to cut wasteful government spending, reduce regulations and bureaucratic red tape, and support agriculture and renewable fuels like ethanol to strengthen Nebraska's economy.
“Reckless big government spending has left the nation with a crippling national debt.”
Ricketts says he wants to cut taxes, control federal spending, and has worked to reduce the growth of government budgets while still funding defense and essential services.
“He supports common-sense spending control to put our country on a more sustainable fiscal path”
Ricketts says he is working to ensure veterans have access to quality healthcare, including mental health and suicide prevention services, and wants to protect seniors' access to healthcare.
“He is fighting to ensure veterans across the state have access to quality healthcare.”
Ricketts says he wants to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security income through his Social Security Check Tax Cut Act, and supports efforts to protect seniors from fraud and identity theft while helping them find employment and housing.
“Pete also introduced the Social Security Check Tax Cut Act to phase-out the federal tax on Social Security income.”
Ricketts says he supports securing the border, building the wall, reforming asylum laws, increasing penalties for fentanyl distributors, stopping sanctuary cities, and giving Border Patrol agents more tools to control illegal immigration.
“He supports legislation to reform our broken asylum laws and build the wall.”
Ricketts says he supports banning federal taxpayer funding for abortions and protecting babies who survive abortion attempts, and as governor he signed legislation to end dismemberment abortion and bolster informed consent protections for mothers.
“He supports legislation to ban federal taxpayer-funding for abortions.”
Ricketts says he supports using America's natural resources for energy independence, backs renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, wants faster permitting for energy projects, opposes mandates forcing electric vehicles, and supports nuclear energy as part of an all-of-the-above approach.
Ricketts says he supports stronger investments in defense, modernizing America's nuclear deterrent including the Sentinel ICBM system, and pushing back against Chinese Communist Party and Russian aggression to protect American sovereignty.
“He supports investments in the Sentinel ICBM weapon system that is partially based in western Nebraska.”
From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.
Pete Ricketts (REP, incumbent)
Raised
$11.2M through 2026-06-30individuals $2.2M · PACs $1.6M · party $62K · candidate's own money, incl. loans $5.3M · from the candidate's other committees $1.9M · cash on hand $6.9M
NEBRASKA VALUES PAC— $2.0M opposing RickettsWORKING CLASS MAJORITY PAC, INC— $1.1M opposing RickettsFELLOWSHIP PAC— $350K supporting RickettsLargest donors:
CANTOR FITZGERALD $10.0M (91%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); ANCHOR LABS INC $1.0M (9%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC)DEFENDING OUR VALUES PAC— $274K supporting RickettsLargest donors:
PUBLIC FIRST ACTION, INC $4.9M (59%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); PUBLIC FIRST ACTION $3.0M (36%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); PUBLIC FIRST $300K (4%); Jan Leike $100K (1%), Anthropic, ResearcherSLF PAC— $157K supporting RickettsLargest donors:
ONE NATION $70.7M (28%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Miriam Adelson $30.0M (12%), Adelson Drug Clinic, Physician; Stephen A Schwarzman $17.0M (7%), Blackstone, Chairman & CEO; Paul Elliott Singer $14.5M (6%), EMC, President; Elon Musk $10.0M (4%), Space Exploration Technologies Corp., CEOand 2 more
What named supporters and critics say, as reported. Shown in equal numbers.
Praise
Mitch McConnell: Said Ricketts was the most capable leader to succeed Sen. Sasse, citing his business savvy and commitment to public service. nbcnews.com
Accurate?
Criticism
Dan Osborn: Described Ricketts as an entrenched, wealthy Republican incumbent he could unseat. politico.com
Accurate?
Controversies
Stated as reported. Most are reported by at least two independent news outlets or found in an official record; any with only one source so far is marked Single source.
Other
Attempt to use Capitol Police to block reporter's questions Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Ricketts motioned to Capitol Police to block a TMZ DC reporter who was asking him about Sen. Mitch McConnell's health, according to The Hill, which reported that the reporter had already passed through security and was in a public hallway.
Family political spending in Nebraska elections Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Nebraska Public Media reported that Ricketts and his family have spent at least $18.6 million on Nebraska political campaigns and causes over the past decade, including spending aimed at influencing legislative races, ballot measures, and his successor's election.
Appointment to Senate seat after donating to appointing governor's campaign Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
AP reported that Ricketts sought appointment to the Senate seat vacated by Ben Sasse, with the appointment to be made by Gov.-elect Jim Pillen, who had received more than $100,000 in direct campaign contributions from Ricketts.
Father's racist and Islamophobic emails Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
NBC News reported that Ricketts' father, Joe Ricketts, apologized after an online outlet published emails containing racist and Islamophobic comments, and that Pete Ricketts had cautioned his father in some of the emails.
Response: "My father said he deeply regrets and apologizes for some of the exchanges in his emails," Gov. Pete Ricketts said in an email to The Associated Press.
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