Pete Ricketts and Ben Sasse are the new kids on the block in more ways than one.
The two political newcomers won election Hiesday to two of the state's highest political offices — Ricketts to governor and Sasse to the U.S. Senate — without either of them having held elected office before.
In fact, Sasse is only the third person elected U.S. senator in Nebraska in the past century without having any prior elective experience.
The two will replace two seasoned politicians, Gov. Dave Heineman and U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns, who came to office with extensive political resumes.
Johanns spent more than three decades in public office, starting his public career on the Lancaster County Board in 1983. By the time he was elected senator in 2008, Johanns also had been Lincoln's mayor and Nebraska's governor.
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When Johanns stepped down as governor in 2005 to take a job in Washington, D.C., he was succeeded by Heineman, his hand-picked lieutenant governor.
A longtime fixture in Nebraska Republican circles, Heineman had served as state treasurer before Johanns tabbed him as his running mate.
Together, Johanns and Heineman helmed Nebraska for 16 years. Both men were known as steady hands at the wheel; they rarely courted controversy or went beyond Nebraskans' comfort level when proposing reforms. They also rarely tried to reinvent state government, preferring instead to make slow and steady changes.
They are being succeeded by two men who cast themselves on the campaign trail as reformers.
Ricketts and Sasse both courted the Tea Party element of the GOP wing in their respective primaries, winning the endorsements of former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
What their rookie status means for Nebraska is still to be seen.
Ricketts will undoubtedly have a learning curve, especially in dealing with the Nebraska Legislature. But he also brings a "fresh set of eyes and a fresh set of ideas" to the job, said Chris Peterson, a GOP political consultant who previously worked in Johanns' gubernatorial administration.
Peterson and others also noted that Ricketts is hardly the first governor to win election straight out of the business world.
Three of the state's most recent governors also came to the office as newbies, and all three went on to earn high approval ratings and to win promotions from voters to the U.S. Senate: J.J. Exon, Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson.
Ricketts has reached out to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
As far back as last year he met with State Sen. Heath Mello, a Democrat and chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The two talked about the need for extensive reform of two of the state's biggest departments: Correctional Services and Health and Human Services.
"I felt it was a very fruitful meeting. He was engaging and direct, and he expressed a desire to be more collaborative," Mello said.
Lou Ann Linehan, a top aide to former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, said she believes that Ricketts will work to overhaul the state's tax structure, though she doesn't expect him to do it overnight.
She said she believes that Ricketts will first try to convince Nebraskans that change is needed, and then seek support in the Legislature.
"What I've seen from Pete Ricketts is that he listens and he listens to lots of different opinions to build consensus," Linehan said.
He also understands that Nebraskans don't like a lot of strife and conflict, she said.
"You can't bludgeon your way through. That does not work in Nebraska. Nebraskans don't like a lot of fighting," Linehan said.
As for Sasse, he is not totally a political novice. He held a top-level political appointment in then-President George W. Bush's administration. He also has served as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.
"He goes in with the benefit — and I think it's huge — of knowing how Congress works. When he wants to talk to an assistant secretary at (the Environmental Protection Agency), he'll know what belly button to push," Linehan said.
Sasse also has a role model: Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel did not have elected experience when he won his seat in 1996, although Hagel, like Sasse, did have Washington experience and had been a Capitol Hill staffer.
And Hagel didn't do badly. He is now serving as U.S. defense secretary.
One way that Sasse is expected to differ from Johanns is his visibility.
Johanns did not attempt to gain national attention. He preferred talking to Nebraska media rather than the national press.
From all appearances, Sasse is ambitious. Many expect he will seek to raise his national profile, much as he did during his primary run when he made the cover of the National Review, which dubbed him a "rising conservative star."
"Johanns went out of his way to avoid the national press, and I don't think Sasse will follow that path," Peterson said. "I'm not saying that to pass judgment. I'm just saying that is not the avenue Johanns wanted to take."
World-Herald chief librarian Jeanne Hauser contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1309, robynn.1ysver@owh.com
