LINCOLN- A political rift between Gov. Pete Ricketts and Lt. Gov. Mike Foley broke into the open Tuesday after Foley told Ricketts he backs Charles Herbster for governor.

The lieutenant governor’s decision appears to have motivated Ricketts to speak out more forcefully against Herbster. He said Herbster would be “a terrible governor.” Ricketts, who has endorsed and campaigned for University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, said he told Foley that he was making a mistake and that he should rethink his choice.

“I was very disappointed with the lieutenant governor’s choice,” Ricketts told the Nebraska Examiner. “I think it’s incredibly poor judgment on his part.”

The Herbster campaign plans to announce Foley’s endorsement during a press conference later Tuesday at the Capitol, the Examiner has learned. The campaign has promised a “HUGE announcement.” Foley’s endorsement could carry added weight with GOP voters who oppose abortion. Some hold Foley in high regard from his work as a state senator. He was elected twice as state auditor.

Ricketts on Tuesday ramped up his criticisms of Herbster. He reiterated his frustration that the Conklin Co. CEO bases his highest-paying jobs in Missouri and Minnesota. The governor also criticized Herbster’s late payment of property taxes. Herbster paid his personal and business property taxes late nearly 600 times.

Pillen's campaign responded to the endorsement stating the endorsement was “disappointing but not surprising” since Foley was “pretty unhappy when I turned down his request to be my lieutenant governor."

Herbster was also endorsed by Senator Steve Halloran and former Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Tom Nesbitt.

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