Joe Ricketts
TD Ameritrade founder and Republican donor; father of Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts.
Last refreshed: 17 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is the senator's father funding the national Republican Senate fund?
Timeline for Joe Ricketts
Gave SLF PAC $5m on 7 September
US Midterms 2026: SLF funds new PACs in Nebraska and MaineBackground
Joe Ricketts founded the online broker Ameritrade, later TD Ameritrade, and is the father of Nebraska's Republican Senator Pete Ricketts. The Senate Leadership Fund's October Quarterly report shows him giving it $5m on 7 September 2026.
Ricketts was chief executive and chair of TD Ameritrade. His family has owned the Chicago Cubs baseball team since 2009, and Forbes estimated his net worth at $4.1bn in 2024.
The Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican Super PAC for Senate races, set out a $342m plan for eight races this spring. SLF is also the only donor to Cornhusker Majority, the committee spending against his son's Challenger, Dan Osborn. SLF's reports do not say which donor's money paid for which race.
How much did Joe Ricketts give the Senate Leadership Fund?
Is Joe Ricketts related to Pete Ricketts?
What company did Joe Ricketts found?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 17 October 2026. Editorial standards.