Nebraska GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Tuesday he will be seeking appointment to the Senate to replace departing Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.
Sasse is leaving his seat and heading to Florida to be the University of Florida's next president. Ricketts' term ends Jan. 5, 2023 and he was not able to seek reelection due to term limits.
"This decision is the result of many hours of prayer and family discussions," Ricketts said in a statement, ABC's KETV-7 reported Tuesday. "For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values? In Congress, we're in a fight for the future of our nation, and it's a fight we have to win.
"We must cut taxes, strengthen public safety and our national security, and protect our most sacred freedoms."
Former President Donald Trump has denounced Ricketts as a Republican in name only (RINO) and the governor has the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Ricketts also has an inside edge for the job, which will be appointed by incoming GOP Gov.-elect Jim Pillen. Ricketts endorsed and helped fund Pillen's victorious gubernatorial campaign.
Now, Ricketts will ask Pillen to appoint him to the Senate to replace Sasse, infuriating Nebraska Democrats.
"The state's most obvious pay-to-play case," Jane Kleeb, the Nebraska Democratic Party chair, told ABC-7 in a statement.
"Ricketts bought this U.S. Senate seat. He tried to win against Sen. Ben Nelson with his parents' money in 2006 and the voters rejected him two-to-one."