Pete Ricketts

Biography

Overview

Pete Ricketts is a Republican U.S. Senator from Nebraska, serving since 2023. Previously, he was Nebraska's 40th governor from 2015 to 2023. Ricketts is the eldest son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade, and a part owner of the Chicago Cubs. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Before his political career, Ricketts worked as an executive at Ameritrade and co-founded the Platte Institute for Economic Research. He was appointed to the Senate in January 2023 to fill the vacancy left by Ben Sasse's resignation and won the 2024 special election to complete the remaining term.

Career

As governor, Ricketts signed legislation enacting $12.7 billion in tax cuts, approved property and veterans tax relief, and supported infrastructure projects including broadband expansion and water infrastructure development. He championed capital punishment, spending $200,000 to finance a 2016 referendum that reinstated Nebraska's death penalty, resulting in the state's first execution since 1997. In the Senate, Ricketts voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 and has been vocal on foreign policy issues, particularly regarding China and U.S.-Israel relations. He was among the first to co-sponsor bills addressing abortion restrictions and border security.

Prior political experience

Ricketts ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 as the Republican nominee but lost to incumbent Democrat Ben Nelson 36% to 64%. He won the 2014 Nebraska gubernatorial primary with 26.6% of the vote and won the general election with 57.1% against Democrat Chuck Hassebrook. He was reelected governor in 2018 with 59.0% of the vote. In 2023, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate by incoming Governor Jim Pillen and won the 2024 special election to complete Ben Sasse's term with 62.6% of the vote, defeating Democrat Preston Love Jr. He announced his reelection bid in 2025 and is running for a full six-year term in 2026.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal

Conservative

119th Congress+0.441

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1

+1

+0.506

Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 674 scored votes

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Officeholding history

Term	Seat	Term dates	Termination	Predecessor	Successor
2nd	U.S. Senate NE Class 2	2024–present	In progress	Pete Ricketts	—
1st	U.S. Senate NE Class 2	2023–2024	Term ended	—	Pete Ricketts

Committee assignments

Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water
SenateChairman· 2024–present
East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
SenateChairman· 2024–present
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Senate· 2024–present
National Security and International Trade and Finance
Senate· 2024–present
Europe and Regional Security Cooperation
Senate· 2024–present
State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development
Senate· 2024–present
Economic Policy
Senate· 2024–present
Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety
Senate· 2024–present
Transportation and Infrastructure
Senate· 2024–present
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Senate· 2024–present
Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
Senate· 2024–present
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Senate· 2024–present
Senate Committee on the Budget
Senate· 2024–present

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

Year	Seat	Result	Vote share	Field
—	—	Pending	—	—