Populist Nebraska GOP wave washes over 2nd District wall

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., speaks to a crowd of about 100 people in the Douglas County Republican Party this winter in Omaha. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

OMAHA — For years, the populist wave among Nebraska Republicans ran into a wall of resistance in the Omaha area, where the local GOP fought to preserve a place for the moderate Republicans who have won races in a politically mixed city and suburbs.

This month, the Nebraska Republican Party and local residents who are new to the county party cracked the mortar protecting one of the last local GOPs in the state held by traditional Republicans, including some in the party’s business and donor class.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts addresses the Nebraska Republican Party convention in Kearney, Neb., in July 2022. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

The populists did so by recruiting hundreds of party members to vote their way in elections for the Douglas County GOP central committee during the county party’s April 6 convention. With help from new faces, they won a majority of seats on the party’s governing board. 

For some, it was a finishing blow in a fight begun in 2022, when populists ousted a state GOP leadership team loyal to then-Gov. Pete Ricketts and handed the state party to a new team with help from advisers to former President Donald Trump.

But there was more at play this month than a push for increased loyalty to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, who lost his only Nebraska Electoral College vote in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District to President Joe Biden in 2020.

Part of fight targets Ricketts, Bacon

The Douglas County GOP is the only county party in the 2nd District that endorsed the top GOP federal incumbents. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and Sen. Pete Ricketts are being targeted by some of their own party’s most vocal organizers.

But now that the party is changing hands, there’s a new push to rescind those endorsements and instead back their opponents. And other Republicans are resisting the change, because the primary election is three weeks away.

These organizers, including some in leadership circles at the state GOP and active members of the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, support challengers in this May’s GOP primary, House candidate Dan Frei and Senate candidate John Glen Weaver.

GOP congressional candidate Dan Frei talks to voters outside a rally organized by Charlie Kirk in Omaha. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Speakers at recent party meetings see Ricketts’ and Bacon’s previous willingness to consider other options in the presidential primary as disloyalty to Trump, among other concerns. Trump has not endorsed in either race.

Bacon has said he preferred U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Ricketts endorsed no one in the primary while it was contested. Both backed Trump once it became clear he would win the nomination.

The Douglas County GOP also endorsed U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who has walked a fine line between the populists and old-line GOP. This year, the state GOP endorsed none of the state’s five GOP congressional incumbents in the primary, and none sought its endorsement.

State and county parties typically endorse incumbents from their own party or sit out aggressively contested primaries. 

Jon Tucker, a former Douglas County GOP chairman who helped organizers pushing for changes in the county party, said inflation, gas and grocery prices and the lack of response in Washington, D.C., played a role as well.

Tucker and interim 2nd District chair Scott Petersen were both involved the last time Douglas County GOP leadership changed hands abruptly, as part of the Ron Paul revolution in 2012.

“It’s not just Trump,” Tucker told the Examiner. “It’s more all these things that we look at that have been going downhill … and finally, the silent majority decided to show up.”

Roots in state, county GOP changes

The elections this month for the Douglas County central committee swept away some high-profile local Republicans, similar to what happened in neighboring Sarpy County in September when populists won county leadership posts.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine speaks about his own move to the Nebraska Republican Party and said he understands why State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha joined as well. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

They include Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, Omaha City Councilman Don Rowe, Omaha City Councilwoman Aimee Melton, Omaha Police Union president Anthony Conner and former Douglas County GOP chairwoman Theresa Thibodeau.

Former Mayor and U.S. Rep. Hal Daub, a longtime member of the local GOP, said it was unusual to see Republicans reject longtime volunteers and donors. He said their loss would be felt. But he said he does not fear bringing new blood to the party.

“I was conservative before Donald Trump and the MAGA movement was born,” Daub said. “A lot of those people were big supporters and are good friends of mine, so I’m not happy with this, but I’m not discouraged by it, either.”

He said the local GOP will find its way back together after the primary and should support whoever wins. He said that the only people who benefit from Republicans being divided is Democrats and that people should not “take their ball and go home.”

State GOP Chairman Eric Underwood, in an email to Republicans on Tuesday, spelled out his own questions about the Ronald Reagan-era belief that a Republican who agrees with the party 80% of the time is a friend and an ally and not a traitor.

“Logically, you simply cannot create stability, nor unity, within ANY organization that has multiple sets of visions, missions and objectives,” Underwood wrote.

Changes part of national trend with local ties

Douglas is the latest county GOP to see populists take over their central committee. The Sarpy and Saunders County parties both shifted in recent months toward people increasingly focused on national politics and Trump.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he leaves court for the day at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024, in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

The Sarpy GOP, under a proposal by a group actively campaigning for Frei, censured Bacon this month. The local party took a similar step in 2021 against former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. 

Sarpy GOP chairman Michael Tiedeman said censuring Bacon reflected “a growing sense of frustration from Republicans.” The censure resolution criticizes the retired Air Force brigadier general for some of his votes and statements, including Bacon’s support for continuing budget resolutions that keep the federal government open and his support for aid to Ukraine. 

Frei has said he would join the Freedom Caucus, which advocates for shutting down the government to gain concessions.

Leadership of the Saunders County GOP has also moved more toward populists. Its previous leaders chose not to endorse in the 2nd District House race. They have endorsed Weaver in the Senate race.

“I don’t have any reaction to Saunders and Douglas,” Bacon said in a statement. “It doesn’t change my record, my message nor my confidence in the upcoming primary and general elections.”

Ricketts had no immediate comment.

Both incumbents are heavy favorites to advance, based on local polling and fundraising. 

Late push for endorsement changes

The latest fight in Douglas County is whether the county GOP should meet this month to reconsider its endorsement decisions and shift to supporting Frei and Weaver.

Saunders is also considering a late endorsement of Frei.

Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood, left, poses with GOP-endorsed candidate John Glen Weaver on Saturday in Bellevue. (Courtesy of Weaver campaign)

Chris Routhe, who still chairs the Douglas County GOP, said he scheduled a party meeting for after the May 14 primary. But some party members want to hold one in April and argue there’s no reason to skip a regular meeting.

Organizers of the late endorsement push, including Petersen, are holding a meeting Tuesday that critics call rogue.

Some are fighting by email over whether a county party meeting called by anybody but Routhe is allowed under the county party’s constitution — and whether actions taken during the meeting would count. 

Day of action planned

Routhe said the Douglas County GOP he leads is planning a “day of action for down-ballot candidates” on April 23, the same day others in his county party ranks are planning to meet and potentially discuss endorsements.

Two incumbent Republican House members from Nebraska have drawn challengers from within their party. (Getty Images)

“The next regular meeting is scheduled in May,” he said.

Routhe said he and others welcome the energy of new people to the party and hope they will be just as committed as those they replaced at volunteering for campaigns and raising money.

Randall Adkins, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said he knew of no political research that shows significant electoral influence from party endorsements in higher-profile races. 

At the top of the ballot, he said, endorsements from well-known elected officials and partisans tend to carry more weight than a central committee endorsement.

County parties, however, can provide local campaigns for school board, public power boards and even Congress with volunteers who can knock on doors, deliver campaign materials and call or text voters.

Douglas County saw an unusually high number of delegates — 510 – sign up for this month’s county convention. They haven’t had that many since the 1990s, party officials said. 

“I think time heals a lot of wounds. And the May 14 primary will put a nail in the coffin (of our divisions),” Routhe said. “We’ll see.”

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