(AP) — Longtime Omaha community activist Preston Love Jr. has announced he is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts for the seat Ricketts was appointed to fill last year.
Love, 81, launched his campaign Wednesday in north Omaha before a crowd of about 100 with the endorsements of some of the state's top Democrats, including state party executive director Precious McKesson and state Sen. Tony Vargas.
Ricketts also gave more than $1 million to the political action committee Conservative Nebraska, which ran a slew of attack ads against Pillen’s primary opponents.
It is the second time the state party has backed Love for the Senate seat — although the first time came under unusual, scandal-plagued circumstance.
Love is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement and an adjunct professor of Black studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Persons:
—, Preston Love Jr, Sen, Pete Ricketts, Ricketts, Precious McKesson, Tony Vargas, Vargas, Don Bacon, Love, haven't, Lyndon, Johnson, Ricketts —, “ I'm, Jim Pillen, Ben Sasse, Pillen, Chris Janicek, Brad Ashford, Alisha Shelton, Nebraska’s, Sasse
Organizations:
— Longtime, Democratic, Republican U.S, Congress, Republican, GOP, Senate, “, United, Republican Gov, University of Florida, Conservative Nebraska, Democrats, U.S . Rep, of Community, University of Nebraska
Locations:
OMAHA, Neb, — Longtime Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S, United States, Love