The Omaha investor kept chugging along, even after Attorney General Jon Bruning stole the spotlight in February with an 11th-hour bid.
Ricketts kept moving forward, even after Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman attempted to crown Bruning as his successor with an 11th-hour endorsement last week.
On Tuesday, Ricketts' persistence paid off, as he eked out a ballot-thin victory over Bruning in a tense — albeit thrilling — Election Night to win the Republican nomination for governor.
For much of the night, Ricketts held the barest of leads. At one point, only 117 votes separated the pair. Shortly before 11:30 p.m., Bruning called to concede.
Ricketts then took the stage with his wife, Suzanne Shore, and their 14-year-old son, Roscoe, who had become a breakout star of the campaign after appearing in a television ad.
“This is just the first step. We are now on a journey that will take us through November,” said Ricketts, who will face Democrat Chuck Hassebrook in the fall election.
Ricketts also praised his opponents as “good men” who ran “tough races.”
In turn, Bruning promised to support Ricketts in the campaign against Hassebrook.
