OMAHA- Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts made it official Tuesday. He filed to run for the office Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed him to last January. “With Nebraskans’ help, I will carry on the fight for our shared values and continue to be a voice in Washington for the common sense, conservative policies that have worked here in Nebraska,” Ricketts said Tuesday in a statement.

Political observers consider Ricketts a heavy favorite to win the GOP nomination and the general election. But he enters a different political environment in 2024 than in his past races. Many Nebraska Republicans, like some of their peers in other states, have swung toward the more populist brand of conservatism espoused by former President Donald Trump. Ricketts would be considered a fiscal conservative.

Ricketts faces criticism from some in his own party for being noncommittal about which GOP presidential candidate he supports in the 2024 primary. The party’s base backs Trump. This spring, Ricketts faces at least one Republican competitor, John Glen Weaver, who lost a primary run in 2022 to U.S. Rep. Mike Flood in the 1st District.

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