The Nebraska governor’s race is going down to the wire with the primary slated for Tuesday.
Conservative Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent who has Gov. Pete Ricketts’ endorsement, now leads among likely Republican voters with 31%.
Pillen is trailed by businessman Charles Herbster at 27%, according to WPAi Intelligence Survey completed last week.
Ricketts has been a popular governor, but can’t run for a third term for governor of Nebraska.
But Ricketts has strongly backed Pillen, with the governor unleashing a seven-figure expenditure from his PAC to slam the two leading opponents.
Ricketts has spent an estimated $1 million through his Super PAC on negative ads against State Sen. Brett Lindstrom and roughly $500,000 against Herbster.
After three weeks on the airwaves, Ricketts’ broadside appear to be taking their toll.
The same survey showed Lindstrom, a favorite of the more moderate wing of the GOP, with 16% and 8% favoring other candidates.
Herbster had initially been the front-runner, but that lead quickly eroded after he was hit with six allegations of sexual harassment, including a complaint from a Republican state senator, Julie Slama.
The multiple harassment charges against Herbster appear serious. He missed a deposition Friday in the case just after slapping Slama with a defamation lawsuit.
Former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub, a Herbster backer told Newsmax, admitted that Ricketts’ media blitz had put Pillen ahead, but that the race remains open.
“It’s now neck-and-neck,” added Daub.
What may decide a tight contest are the more than 8,500 Democrats and independents who changed parties this year to vote in the Republican primary. A similar move by outsiders in 2014 helped to put Ricketts over the top by a slim 2,000 votes in his first winning bid for governor.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.