Pete Ricketts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Ricketts
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Official portrait, 2023
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| United States Senator from Nebraska |
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| Assumed office January 23, 2023 Serving with Deb Fischer
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| Appointed by | Jim Pillen |
| Preceded by | Ben Sasse |
| 40th Governor of Nebraska | |
| In office January 8, 2015 – January 5, 2023 |
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| Lieutenant | Mike Foley |
| Preceded by | Dave Heineman |
| Succeeded by | Jim Pillen |
| Chair of the Republican Governors Association | |
| In office November 19, 2021 – November 17, 2022 Serving with Doug Ducey
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| Preceded by | Doug Ducey |
| Succeeded by | Kim Reynolds |
| In office November 29, 2018 – November 21, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Haslam |
| Succeeded by | Greg Abbott |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Peter Ricketts
August 19, 1964 Nebraska City, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Susanne Shore
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent | Joe Ricketts (father) |
| Relatives | Thomas S. Ricketts (brother) Laura Ricketts (sister) Todd Ricketts (brother) |
| Education | University of Chicago (BA, MBA) |
| Awards | 2016 World Series champion |
Pete Ricketts was born on August 19, 1964. He is an American businessman and politician. He is currently a U.S. Senator for Nebraska, a role he started in 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Before becoming a senator, Ricketts was the 40th Governor of Nebraska. He served as governor from 2015 to 2023. His father, Joe Ricketts, founded TD Ameritrade, a big financial company. Pete Ricketts and his family also own the Major League Baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.
In 2006, Ricketts ran for the U.S. Senate but did not win. He then ran for governor of Nebraska in 2014 and won. He was reelected in 2018. As governor, he worked on state budgets and tax cuts. After his second term as governor ended, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2023. This happened when Senator Ben Sasse resigned.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Pete Ricketts was born in Nebraska City, Nebraska on August 19, 1964. He was the oldest of four children. His parents were Joe and Marlene Ricketts. The family later moved to Omaha, Nebraska.
His father, Joe Ricketts, started a company called First Omaha Securities in 1975. This company was one of the first to offer discounted stock trading. It grew and became TD Ameritrade. His mother, Marlene, was a teacher.
Pete and his siblings, Tom, Laura, and Todd, all went to Westside High School in Omaha. Pete graduated in 1982. He then went to the University of Chicago. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1986. Later, he received an MBA in marketing and finance in 1991.
Business and Sports Career
After finishing graduate school, Ricketts returned to Omaha. He worked for Union Pacific Railroad for a year. Then, he was a salesman for an environmental company in Chicago. In 1993, he started working for his father's business, Ameritrade. He held several executive roles, including chief operating officer.
In 1997, Pete Ricketts married Susanne Shore. She was a nurse in Omaha. Pete and Susanne have three children.
In 2006, Ricketts left Ameritrade to run for the U.S. Senate. After the election, he rejoined the company's board. He stayed on the board until 2016.
In 2007, Ricketts helped start the Platte Institute for Economic Research. He called it a "free market think tank." He was its director and president. He left this role in 2013 to focus on his campaign for governor. From 2007 to 2012, he was a national committee member for the Republican National Committee.
Chicago Cubs Ownership
In 2009, the Ricketts family bought the Chicago Cubs. This is a famous Major League Baseball team. Pete Ricketts was part of this ownership group. He stepped down from the Cubs' board of directors in 2019. This allowed him to focus on being governor.
World Series Champion
As an owner of the Chicago Cubs, Ricketts celebrated a big win. The Cubs won the 2016 World Series championship. They defeated the Cleveland Indians that year.
Governor of Nebraska
Pete Ricketts became the 40th governor of Nebraska. He was sworn into office on January 8, 2015.
Gubernatorial Elections
2014 Election
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In 2014, Ricketts ran for governor. The current governor could not run again due to term limits. Ricketts won the Republican primary election in May 2014. He then faced Democratic Party candidate Chuck Hassebrook in the general election.
Ricketts supported tax cuts. Hassebrook argued that these cuts would mostly help wealthy people. Ricketts was against expanding Medicaid in Nebraska. Hassebrook supported it. Ricketts also opposed raising the state's minimum wage, while Hassebrook supported it.
Ricketts spent much more money on his campaign than Hassebrook. In the general election, Ricketts won with 57.1% of the votes. Hassebrook received 39.2%.
2018 Election
On June 5, 2017, Ricketts announced he would run for reelection. He said that lowering property taxes would be his main goal if he won again. He also asked voters to reelect Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley. Ricketts was reelected on November 6, 2018, with 59.0% of the vote.
Key Actions as Governor
First Term (2015-2018)
In 2015, the state legislature passed three bills that Ricketts tried to stop with a veto. However, the legislature voted to override his vetoes. One bill ended the death penalty in Nebraska. Another bill allowed driver's licenses for young people who came to the U.S. as children without permission. A third bill increased the tax on gasoline to fix roads and bridges.
After the death penalty repeal was overridden, people who supported the death penalty gathered signatures to put it to a public vote. Ricketts supported this effort. In 2016, voters decided to bring back the death penalty.
In 2016, Ricketts vetoed a bill that would have created an independent group to draw new district maps. He believed this was the legislature's job. He also vetoed a bill about state audit procedures. Another bill he vetoed allowed certain immigrants to get professional licenses in Nebraska. The legislature overrode his veto on this bill.
In 2017, Ricketts merged some state agencies. The Department of Roads and Department of Aeronautics became the Department of Transportation. The Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Division of Veterans' Homes also merged. He signed bills to help communities, like creating grants for housing. He also signed bills related to supporting pregnant women and families.
In 2018, Ricketts signed a bill to create special certificates for miscarriages. He said this bill "affirms the pre-born baby's dignity." He also highlighted tax relief bills. Ricketts vetoed a bill that would have allowed some criminal convictions to be set aside. He said it "sends the wrong message to victims of crime."
Second Term (2019-2022)
In 2019, Ricketts approved budgets and tax cuts. He worked to stop automatic property tax increases. He also increased funding for property tax relief. He merged the Department of Environment and the Department of Energy into one new department.
In 2020, Ricketts signed laws for property and veterans tax relief. He also signed bills for flood and pandemic relief. He worked on reforms for the state workforce. He also supported a bill to fund repairs for an important irrigation canal.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ricketts took action. In June 2020, he said he would hold back federal relief money if local governments required face masks in public offices. In October 2021, he ordered state agencies not to follow federal vaccine rules for employees.
In 2021, Ricketts called the legislative session "historic." It passed his key priorities. These included property and veterans tax relief, and broadband internet infrastructure. The session also limited budget growth. His veterans tax relief program gave veterans a full exemption on military retirement benefits. He signed a bill to help military spouses get teaching permits in Nebraska. He also signed legislation to support public and private K-12 education.
In 2022, Ricketts praised the legislature for passing bills on his priorities. This included securing Nebraska's water resources. They authorized building a canal to protect water rights from Colorado. He also signed bills to develop water infrastructure. This included new marinas and a large reservoir. Ricketts also focused on controlling government spending. He signed bills to cut property and income taxes. He also invested in rural and urban areas to help businesses recover.
U.S. Senate Career
Appointment to the Senate
On January 8, 2023, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse resigned from his position. He left to become president of the University of Florida. On January 12, Jim Pillen, who had just become governor, appointed Pete Ricketts to fill the empty Senate seat.
Ricketts's appointment was discussed because he had supported Pillen's campaign for governor. Pillen said this did not affect his decision. After being appointed, Ricketts announced he would run in the 2024 special election. This election is to serve the rest of Sasse's term. He also plans to run for a full six-year term in 2026.
Senate Tenure
Pete Ricketts was sworn in as Nebraska's junior U.S. Senator on January 23, 2023. Vice President Kamala Harris performed the ceremony.
Senate Committees
Ricketts serves on several important committees in the Senate:
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety (He is the lead Republican member here)
- Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
- Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation (He is the lead Republican member here)
- Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development
- Special Committee on Aging
In March 2023, Ricketts visited the U.S.-Mexico border with Senator Deb Fischer. He spoke about his concerns regarding border security.
On the Foreign Relations Committee, Ricketts has often criticized the Biden administration's foreign policy. He has called for a stronger approach against countries like China, Iran, and Russia. Ricketts strongly supports the alliance between the U.S. and Israel.
Ricketts gave his first speech in the Senate on March 29, 2023. He talked about his belief that "Nebraska is what America is supposed to be." He suggested that Washington D.C. could learn from Nebraska's way of operating.
Political Views
Critical Race Theory
In 2021, Ricketts stated his opposition to critical race theory. He described it as something that creates divisions based on race. He said it was "Marxist" and "really un-American."
Death Penalty
Ricketts supports the death penalty. In 2015, he tried to stop a bill that would have ended capital punishment in Nebraska. However, the legislature voted to override his veto. In 2016, Ricketts helped fund a public vote to bring back the death penalty. The vote passed, and the death penalty was reinstated in the state.
Donald Trump
Ricketts criticized the effort to impeach Donald Trump. This was over Trump's request for Ukraine to investigate a political rival. Ricketts called the impeachment process a "partisan impeachment parade." He praised the Senate for finding Trump not guilty.
Environment
Ricketts opposed the Obama administration's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He supported the Keystone XL Pipeline. He said it would create jobs and tax money in Nebraska. He also believed it would help the U.S. rely less on foreign oil.
In 2021, Ricketts said he was against a plan by President Joe Biden. This plan aimed to protect 30% of the nation's land and water by 2030. Ricketts called it a "radical climate agenda."
Civil Rights
Before becoming governor, Ricketts supported a plan to ban affirmative action in Nebraska. He donated money to the group behind this effort. After becoming governor, he appointed Manra Munn to lead the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission.
Personal Life
Pete Ricketts is Catholic. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He is also a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Images for kids
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Final results by county in 2006
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Final results by county in 2014
