Pete Ricketts Wins Nebraska Special Senate Election to Fill Ben Sasse’s Term

On November 5, 2024, a special election was held in Nebraska to fill the remaining two years of the U.S. Senate term vacated by Ben Sasse. Sasse, a Republican, resigned from the Senate on January 8, 2023, after being appointed as the president of the University of Florida.

Following Sasse’s resignation, Governor Jim Pillen appointed Pete Ricketts to the vacant Senate seat. Ricketts, who previously served as the Governor of Nebraska, has now been elected to the seat in his own right, defeating Democratic challenger Preston Love Jr. in the special general election.

Ricketts won the election with a significant margin, leading Love 52% to 48% by 9 p.m. on election night. This victory marks another milestone in Ricketts’ political career, which began in 2006 when he first ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. Ricketts later served as Governor of Nebraska from 2015 to 2023.

The outcome of this election maintains the current partisan balance in the U.S. Senate, as Ricketts continues to represent Nebraska as a Republican. Ricketts has indicated that he plans to run for a full six-year term in 2026.