Trump’s endorsement fails in Nebraska GOP governor primary : NPR

Jim Pillen, center, talks about his campaign after receiving an endorsement from Gov. Pete Ricketts, right, on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at the state Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. According to the AP, Pillen won the Republican primary May 10.

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Jim Pillen, center, talks about his campaign after receiving an endorsement from Gov. Pete Ricketts, right, on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at the state Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. According to the AP, Pillen won the Republican primary May 10.

Grant Schulte/AP

In Nebraska, Jim Pillen has won the Republican primary for governor, according to a race call from The Associated Press.

Riding the endorsement of Gov. Pete Ricketts and much of the state’s GOP establishment, Pillen, a hog producer and University of Nebraska regent, held off rival candidates that included Charles Herbster – a political newcomer backed by former President Donald Trump – and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

Pillen’s win is a loss for Trump and the power of his endorsement, which has seemed to push other Republicans in prominent primaries to victory this year, including in West Virginia Tuesday and in Ohio last week.

Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., came to Nebraska to campaign for Herbster, a wealthy businessman who donated $11.5 million of his own money to his campaign. The stump speeches and spending weren’t enough to beat Pillen in the end, who raised $8.4 million.

Herbster could have suffered among voters after the Nebraska Examiner published a story detailing allegations from eight women that he groped or forcibly kissed them. Herbster later filed a defamation lawsuit against state Sen. Julie Slama, one of the accusers. Slama has filed a countersuit.

Pillen, meanwhile, campaigned on his opposition to abortion rights and critical race theory. He also says he supports restricted government and making Nebraska more friendly to agricultural business.

Campaign posters supporting Nebraska Republican candidate for governor Charles Herbster decorate the grounds of the I-80 Speedway prior to the start of a rally with former President Donald Trump on May 1 in Greenwood, Neb.

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