Longtime community activist Preston Love Jr. announces US Senate bid in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (CN) — Preston Love Jr. knows his fight for the U.S. Senate will be a tough one. In his campaign announcement late Wednesday morning, he made several references to the Biblical story of David and Goliath.

“Goliath was an awe-inspiring giant and was perceived to be all-powerful and undefeatable,” he said after taking the stage to the Stevie Wonder funk classic “Higher Ground.”

“Some of you love me but you think I’m going to lose," Love said. "That’s the same thing that happened with David.”

The 81-year-old longtime activist, businessman, author and manager of Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign, running as a Democrat in this conservative state, announced his candidacy to a cheering crowd of about 100, who braved treacherous, snow-packed streets to attend.

The race will be a challenge. Nebraska is dominated by the GOP, with all major state and federal elected offices held by Republicans.

“As the senator from Nebraska I will take my little slingshot and my stones in favor of common sense against assault weapons and (for) red flag laws. I, as a senator, will be an advocate for a woman’s right to choose. You know why? Because it is a woman’s right to choose,” he said to cheers and applause. “And for progressive and sensible environmental protections and the belief in climate change.”

Yet, while Nebraska is reliably conservative, the state’s 2nd District U.S. House seat, centered in Omaha, is considered purple rather than red. And Nebraska is one of two states that does not allot its electoral votes for president in a winner-take-all system. In 2008, while the state went for John McCain, the 2nd District’s electoral vote went to Barack Obama. In 2020, it went to Joe Biden.

“In a close race, one electoral vote could make the difference as to who’s the president,” he said. “What’s at stake … is that my candidacy will help us win that one electoral vote because I’m hoping that this community comes out and votes like crazy.”

Love’s attention isn’t focused only on Omaha’s urban core. He supports the implementation of the Farm Bill and stressed the importance of reaching out to rural Nebraskans.

While roughly half of the state’s population lives within an hour’s drive of downtown Omaha or Lincoln, the other half lives in a vast region of prairie, farms and Sandhills that stretches from the Missouri River to Wyoming.

“It’s a conservative state and I have no problem with that. But what I’ve found that conservative or nonconservative, there’s some common problems, that are so major the labels don’t help you solve them,” he said during an interview with Courthouse News prior to his announcement.

The Senate seat Love is running for is currently held by Pete Ricketts, a Republican and former governor. Ricketts was limited to two terms in the Governor’s Mansion in Lincoln.

Current Governor Jim Pillen appointed Ricketts to the seat immediately after Ricketts’ term as governor ended after the seat had become vacant when Ben Sasse, another Republican, resigned from the Senate to assume the presidency of the University of Florida.

Ricketts backed Pillen in the GOP primary for the 2022 gubernatorial race over Trump-supported businessman Charles Herbster.

Ricketts earlier this week filed for election. He lost when he first ran for Senate in 2006, when he went up against Democratic incumbent Ben Nelson. But Nebraska, like many other conservative Midwestern states, has swung hard for the right since then.

After filing, Ricketts said in a Tweet, "I’m running to complete my term to bring our Nebraska solutions to America. We also need to hold Joe Biden accountable, secure our southern border, and stand in the way of efforts to infringe on our God-given rights and freedoms."

A matchup between Love and Ricketts would be one of almost diametric opposites. Ricketts’ father Joe is the founder of brokerage firm TD Ameritrade and his family owns the Chicago Cubs.

Love is revered in the Omaha civil rights community. He played on the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team under storied coach Bob Devaney, and worked for Andrew Young when Young was mayor of Atlanta.

He is the son of acclaimed saxophonist, sideman, bandleader and Omaha native Preston Love, who in addition to his own recordings played with Count Basie, Lena Horne, Frank Zappa, Janis Joplin and a host of other musical luminaries.

Like Ricketts, the candidate has worked in business, including as an executive for IBM and opening Atlanta’s first retail computer store.

The announcement took place at The Venue at Highlander Accelerator, a 6,500 square foot community building in the Black-majority neighborhood of North Omaha.

One attendee on Wednesday was Michael Marcheck, 35, of Lincoln, who chairs the Nebraska Stonewall Democrats, which represents the LGBTQ community. He wore a retro sweatshirt for the 1972 Presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, who the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Marcheck pointed out that African Americans are historically underrepresented in the U.S. Senate. The Senate’s website lists only 11 for the entire history of the body.

“A rising tide raises all votes,” he said. "With Preston’s background in voter outreach and voter registration … if the community turns out, that will help all the candidates.”

In the other Senate race this year in Nebraska, Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican, is running for reelection. Democrats may end up backing Dan Osborn, an independent candidate and Omaha-area union president who led the 2021 Kellogg’s strike in Omaha.

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