U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, the former two-term Republican governor of Nebraska and one of the more reliable conservative voices in the Senate, is endorsing a Democrat for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. That Democrat happens to be his wife.
Breitbart reported that Susanne Shore, Nebraska's former first lady, is running for an Omaha-area seat on the Board of Regents to complete the final four years of a term vacated by former Regent Elizabeth O'Connor.
She is running as a Democrat, with her own Democrat political consultant and her own campaign operation. Ricketts, for his part, is not pretending otherwise.
"I usually vote straight Republican, but Susanne will be my one Democrat exception in 2026!"
That's a line designed to charm. Whether it should is another question entirely.
Ricketts called Shore "an outstanding voice for the university" and praised her as "seeking to keep higher education affordable and accessible." He added that her "deep love for Nebraska is clear." Shore herself described Ricketts as "nothing but supportive" of her campaign, even as she acknowledged the two often hold opposing political views at home.
Shore's stated focus is on ensuring students from rural and urban backgrounds receive the academic and social support needed to complete degrees or certificates. She framed her pitch in broadly agreeable terms:
"It's not just about being able to get into school. It's being able to get out without being burdened by a massive debt … work-study programs and internships."
Affordable education. Support for rural students. Reduced debt burdens. None of that sounds controversial on its face. But the Board of Regents doesn't just set tuition rates. It governs the ideological direction of one of the state's most powerful institutions. And on that front, Shore's answers get thinner.
The Nebraska Examiner reported that Shore did not directly answer whether her campaign focus might mean she would advocate for embattled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, which have been political targets in Nebraska and elsewhere. That silence is worth noting. Candidates who intend to oppose DEI rarely struggle to say so.
What makes this endorsement so strange is the man making it. This is the same Pete Ricketts who, as governor in 2021, publicly excoriated the University of Nebraska-Lincoln over its "Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity" plan. He didn't mince words at the time:
"While the University has repeatedly denied that their plan includes Critical Race Theory, their own records reveal that the consultant behind their efforts is a critical race theorist."
He described the plan as reaching "into every corner of campus" and called it "legally questionable, intellectually flawed, and politically charged." In a separate interview with Breitbart News in December 2021, he went further:
"Critical race theory is talking about resegregation. A betrayal of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King."
That same year, Ricketts held town halls across Nebraska to expose what he called "the gender ideology" embedded in proposed sex education standards. He described the content as "crazy stuff" and "sexualization of our children." He told Nebraskans that the path to reform ran through personnel decisions:
"To make real change, we have to replace those people on the school board with people who believe the parents are responsible for a kid's education."
His closing argument at the time was as clear as it gets: "To change the policy, you have to change people."
Now he is asking voters to put a Democrat on the board that governs the very university system he once fought to reform.
Nobody begrudges a man for supporting his wife. Marriage involves compromise, loyalty, and the occasional decision to hold your tongue at Thanksgiving. But a U.S. senator's endorsement is not a private act. It carries institutional weight. It directs voter behavior. It tells conservative Nebraskans that this candidate has been vetted and found acceptable.
And what do those voters actually know about Shore's positions? That she wants college to be affordable. That she supports work-study programs. That she won't say where she stands on DEI.
The Board of Regents race is officially nonpartisan, but Shore chose to run as a Democrat. She hired a Democrat consultant. She is competing in a Democratic primary against at least four other candidates, including Michael Skocz, a University of Nebraska at Omaha employee; Drew Leisy, the current UNO Student Regent; Justin Solomon, a former UNL Student Regent; and Larry Bradley, a perennial candidate. The top two finishers from the May 12 primary advance to the November 3 general election.
Running as a Democrat in a nominally nonpartisan race is itself a signal. It tells a coalition what to expect.
Higher education governance is not a ceremonial post. University boards set the terms for hiring, curriculum review, and the institutional culture that shapes a generation of students.
Conservatives have spent years fighting to reclaim these institutions from ideological capture. Ricketts himself made that case more forcefully than almost any governor in the country.
The question is not whether Susanne Shore is a good person. The question is whether a Democrat candidate who declines to answer questions about DEI will govern the University of Nebraska in a direction that aligns with the values Ricketts spent his governorship defending.
Ricketts told Nebraskans that to change policy, you have to change people. He was right then. The principle doesn't bend because the person is family.
