Nebraska Republican Charles Herbster, after finishing second in the GOP governor’s primary race, is trying to reclaim his former role as a conservative kingmaker and mega-donor.
He and his team announced a new political action committee Thursday aimed at pushing state and local GOP officeholders and candidates farther to the right. The PAC is called “Nebraska First.”
“While I came up short in my bid to be our next Governor, I fully intend to remain active in fighting for the traditional Christian Conservative values our state and country were founded on,” Herbster said in a statement. “During my campaign, I talked about a lot of issues and ideas that resonated with voters. With Nebraska First, we want to make sure those voters have a voice in their government.”
Rod Edwards, a key member of Herbster’s campaign for governor, will lead the PAC. He said its focus will be Nebraska politics, state and local. They’ll start by prioritizing two issues.
The first question the new PAC will ask candidates for the Legislature is where they stand on the Unicameral’s unique system of electing committee chairs by secret ballot.
Herbster and the Nebraska Republican Party have advocated that those votes should be public so voters know who picked whom. Herbster has asserted that the Nebraska Constitution requires them to be public.
The longtime secret balloting in the officially nonpartisan Unicameral has made it possible for senators to back committee leaders from an opposing party.
The second issue is so-called “constitutional carry,” a measure that would allow Nebraskans to carry a concealed handgun without a state permit or background check.
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(Photo: Aaron Sanderford )