Former two-term Nebraska governor and current U.S. senator Pete Ricketts is backing a Democrat candidate for statewide higher education office — his wife — in a move that places a prominent Republican behind a member of the opposite party in an officially nonpartisan contest.
The Nebraska Examiner announced that Ricketts would support his wife, Susanne Shore, as she seeks an Omaha-area seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Shore, a Democrat and the state’s former first lady, is running to complete the final four years of a term vacated by former Regent Elizabeth O’Connor.
Ricketts, in a statement, called Shore “an outstanding voice for the university.” The Nebraska Examiner reported that he said she would join him in “seeking to keep higher education affordable and accessible.” “Her deep love for Nebraska is clear,” he added. “I usually vote straight Republican, but Susanne will be my one Democrat exception in 2026!”
Shore has previously acknowledged that she and her husband often hold opposing political views at home but ultimately prioritize their family. She remarked that Ricketts has been “nothing but supportive” and that while running for office feels different from serving as first lady, the experience has so far been positive. She hired her own Democrat political consultant and is running her own campaign, noting that Ricketts is focused on his own 2026 reelection bid against Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn.
The Nebraska Examiner wrote, “Shore did not directly answer whether that meant she might advocate for embattled diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which have been political targets in Nebraska and elsewhere.”
Shore explained her focus would be on ensuring students from rural and urban backgrounds receive the academic and social support needed to complete their degrees or certificates. “It’s not just about being able to get into school,” she stated. “It’s being able to get out without being burdened by a massive debt … work-study programs and internships.”
Ricketts’ endorsement comes after years of public disputes between him and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln over diversity initiatives and critical race theory. In 2021, as governor, Ricketts criticized UNL’s “Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity,” arguing that “while the University has repeatedly denied that their plan includes Critical Race Theory, their own records reveal that the consultant behind their efforts is a critical race theorist.”
He said at the time that the plan would inject critical race theory “into every corner of campus” and described it as “legally questionable, intellectually flawed, and politically charged.” In a separate interview with Breitbart News in December 2021, Ricketts asserted, “Critical race theory is talking about resegregation,” and called it “a betrayal of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King.”
Ricketts also held town halls across Nebraska in 2021 where he spoke to parents about “what was actually in the sex education standards” and “the gender ideology,” calling some of the material “crazy stuff” and describing it as the “sexualization of our children.” He declared that “to make real change, we have to replace those people on the school board with people who believe the parents are responsible for a kid’s education,” arguing that “to change the policy, you have to change people.”
At least five Democrats are competing in the primary, including University of Nebraska at Omaha employee Michael Skocz, current UNO Student Regent Drew Leisy, former UNL Student Regent Justin Solomon, and perennial candidate Larry Bradley. The top two finishers in the May 12 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
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