LINCOLN- As he approaches his final days as Nebraska's governor, Pete Ricketts expressed optimism that the United States will begin to bridge its political divide. "This is not the first time in history where we've had political contention--think about the 1960s," said the Governor, "We just have to hold on."

When asked about his fitness for the U.S. Senate, Ricketts said, "If you look at our record here over the last eight years, we've done some fantastic things. And I would put that record up against anyone else who wants to be the next U.S. Senator." Gov. Ricketts sidestepped a question about whether he'd be worried that some people might not see his potential appointment as legitimate after he gave $1.4 million to Pillen's campaign.

Ricketts instead responded by saying, "I supported Jim Pillen because he was the best candidate to be the next governor of Nebraska. He's a business man, he's created over 1,000 jobs and I believe he's going to take what we've done to the next level." Gov. Ricketts went on to state that "supporting candidates is a matter of free speech. Can you have too much free speech?"

Ricketts, who will be leaving the Nebraska governorship after serving for eight years, has faced several new and pressing challenges that were yet unseen in the state, including a deadly pandemic and record flooding. Ricketts also helped enact historic and major tax cuts, and said that he is most proud of his efforts to improve state government services to Nebraskans.

Prior to being elected Governor, Ricketts worked as the Chief Operating Officer at Ameritrade, the financial giant built by his father, Joe Ricketts, where he learned to "run government like a business." The tax cuts Gov. Ricketts helped enact will be felt for years to come, and by 2027, will amount to around $12.7 billion in reductions.

Gov. Ricketts was also proud of the fact that his office "kept spending low," resulting in a 2.8% state budget growth that will help fund additional tax relief next year. However, despite his successes, Gov. Ricketts acknowledged that there are still problems to be fixed, saying, "There's work yet to be done on the Perkins Canal and replacement of the Nebraska Penitentiary. I was against building a new penitentiary at the beginning, but you learn on the job."

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