Ricketts Punts Decision To Next Governor To Appoint Replacement For Ben Sasse If He Resigns

By Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner:

October 7, 2022

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts made clear on Friday that not he, but the next Nebraska governor, will select a replacement for U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, who is expected to resign to become president of the University of Florida.

Ricketts issued a statement Friday afternoon after speculation that he might appoint himself to the Senate post — one he sought unsuccessfully in 2006.

“If I choose to pursue the appointment, I will leave the appointment decision to the next governor and will follow the process established for all interested candidates,” Ricketts said in his statement.

That could set up a scenario where a candidate Ricketts has endorsed and financially backed, University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, a fellow Republican and the presumptive next governor, could select Ricketts to fill the post.

Ricketts said Friday that he had only learned Thursday of Sasse’s plan to resign. His staff said that his statement Friday “is the only statement that will be issued prior to any potential change in status on Senator Sasse.”

“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the governor of Nebraska. It is the greatest job in the world, and it will remain my number one focus for the remainder of my term,” Ricketts said.

Speculation began Thursday after it was reported that Sasse, a former president at Midland University in Fremont, was the lone finalist for the Florida post.

If he resigns, as expected, Nebraska’s governor — whoever that might be — has 45 days to appoint a qualified Nebraskan to fill the vacancy, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office.

The appointee, officials said, would serve until January 2025. An election would be held in 2024 to fill the seat for the remaining two years of Sasse’s term.

Political pundits speculated that Ricketts, 58, would seriously consider the job, given his past interest and the fact that that he was term-limited from running for governor this year.

In his statement Friday, Ricketts did not say if he was interested in the job now, though observers around the State Capitol have guessed that he might seek election to the U.S. Senate after he leaves state government, or seek a cabinet post in a GOP administration.

In the past, governors in other states have appointed themselves to U.S. Senate vacancies or have resigned so their lieutenant governor could appoint them. But that hasn’t often translated into future political success.

Minnesota governor lost

One instance involved Minnesota Gov. Wendell Anderson, who resigned in 1976 so his lieutenant governor could appoint Anderson to the Senate to replace Walter Mondale, who was elected vice president for Jimmy Carter.

But two years later, Anderson, a Democrat, was defeated in his attempt to retain his seat.

In 1962, former Wyoming Gov. John Hickey suffered a similar fate. Hickey had appointed himself to the U.S. Senate post in 1961, but lost an election a year later to retain the seat.

Controversy often flares when governors appoint themselves, arrange to have themselves appointed or even consider it.

In 2008, then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich considered appointing himself to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the election of Barack Obama as president.

In the end, Blagojevich appointed someone else. But he was later impeached, then criminally indicted and convicted of soliciting bribes from potential candidates for the Senate vacancy.

Doubts about political blowback

Two political scientists told the Nebraska Examiner Thursday that they doubted Ricketts would face such blowback because Nebraska is such a Republican dominated state.

Ricketts, in his statement Friday, said Sasse would make an excellent president for the University of Florida.

“He has one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate, and we need more conservative voices in our universities,” the governor said. “I wish him luck as the University of Florida makes their consideration.”

Sasse voted for impeachment

Sasse raised the ire of former President Donald Trump and his supporters when he voted to convict Trump during the president’s second impeachment trial.

Yet Sasse fended off a GOP primary challenger and won re-election in 2020, claiming 63% of the vote.

Trump, who once belittled Sasse as “Little Ben” after one of their disagreements over policy, received 58% of the Nebraska vote in 2020.

Sasse is scheduled to visit the Florida campus Monday, where he will meet with students and faculty. The university will accept feedback until Nov. 1 concerning his appointment.

Persons with knowledge of the situation say that Sasse, barring unforeseen circumstances, could resign his Senate post, which he has held since 2015, in late November or early December.

Nebraskans want accountability from their elected officials and government. They want to know whether their tax dollars are being well-spent, whether state agencies and local governments are responsive to the people and whether officials, programs and policies are working for the common good. The Nebraska Examiner is a nonprofit, independent news source committed to providing news, scoops and reports important to our state.