Dem
51
GOP
49
Gov. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) would like to be a senator. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) would like to be a governor. These aspirations were not really a secret, but in the last week, both men made things official.
In Ricketts' case, he's term-limited, so if he wants to continue his career in politics, the most attractive option is the seat that is going to be vacated by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) on January 8 of next year. That is also the day that Ricketts' term ends, which is undoubtedly not a coincidence. The Governor could easily call up the Senator, ask him to resign one day early, and then appoint himself to the seat. However, Ricketts decided he didn't like those optics. So, he's going to "submit an application" to his successor, Gov.-elect Jim Pillen (R-NE) and let Pillen make the appointment. How good are the Governor's chances that his application is accepted? Well, Pillen was able to triumph in his tough primary thanks to Ricketts' endorsement, Ricketts' campaigning on his behalf, and a generous $100,000 donation from the Ricketts family. In other words, non-Ricketts candidates need not apply.
As to Braun, he just doesn't like being a medium-sized fish in a big pond. He wants to be the biggest fish, even if it's in a much smaller pond. So, the Senator filed the necessary paperwork for a gubernatorial run last week and he made his official announcement yesterday. The press conference was held at a chichi steakhouse in Indianapolis called Prime 47. That name comes from the restaurant's address, which is 47 Pennsylvania Avenue. Note that whoever succeeds Joe Biden will be the 47th president and will live at Pennsylvania Avenue. Is Braun engaging in a little bit of subliminal suggestion as to his post-gubernatorial plans?
These various games of musical chairs aren't going to change anything very much. All four men here are plenty conservative, and there is little chance that the Democrats will be able to contest either of the Senate seats; Indiana and Nebraska are just too red these days. Ricketts certainly knows how to keep his nose clean, so the only possibility for things to get interesting is if the Indiana GOP nominates a real nutter to be Braun's replacement. We're talking a candidate even worse than Herschel Walker or Mehmet Oz, which might not be physically possible. (Z)