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Pete Ricketts
PersonUS

Pete Ricketts

Nebraska Republican senator; former governor; appointed 2023 to replace Ben Sasse.

Last refreshed: 16 April 2026

Key Question

Why is crypto money targeting a safe Nebraska Senate seat?

Timeline for Pete Ricketts

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Common Questions
How did Pete Ricketts become a senator if he wasn't elected?
Ricketts was appointed in January 2023 by his successor as Nebraska governor to fill the vacancy when Ben Sasse resigned. He then won a November 2024 special election to serve out the rest of the term.
Does Pete Ricketts own the Chicago Cubs?
The Ricketts family (his late father Joe Ricketts founded TD Ameritrade) owns the Chicago Cubs. Pete is part of the family but not the primary owner; his brother Tom Ricketts chairs the Cubs organisation.
Why is Fellowship PAC spending money on Pete Ricketts?
Fellowship PAC, a crypto-aligned committee, spent ,000 on Ricketts' 2026 campaign as part of a broader strategy to back senators seen as friendly to the digital-assets industry.Source: FEC filings
Is Pete Ricketts related to the TD Ameritrade family?
Yes. His late father, Joe Ricketts, founded TD Ameritrade. The family sold the brokerage to Schwab in 2020 for approximately billion in stock. Pete Ricketts spent million of family money on his first gubernatorial race in 2014.

Background

Pete Ricketts holds Nebraska's junior Senate seat, initially appointed by his successor as governor in January 2023 to fill the vacancy left when Ben Sasse resigned to become president of the University of Florida. Ricketts won a special election in November 2024 to serve the remainder of the term. In the 2026 cycle, Fellowship PAC — a Cryptocurrency-aligned committee — spent ,000 on his campaign, part of its broader effort to elect crypto-friendly Senate incumbents.

Ricketts served as Nebraska's governor from 2015 to 2023, focusing on tax cuts, opposition to Medicaid expansion, and capital punishment. He comes from one of America's wealthiest families: his late father Joe Ricketts founded TD Ameritrade, and the broader Ricketts family owns the Chicago Cubs. Pete Ricketts spent million of family money in his first successful governor's race in 2014.

In the Senate, Ricketts has aligned closely with Republican leadership and opposed most Democratic legislative priorities. His seat is not considered competitive in 2026 — Nebraska is a deep-red state — but his presence in crypto PAC spending patterns places him in the broader story of how the digital-assets industry is attempting to reshape the Senate composition.