repeatedly denied that he’s a spoiler candidate

LINCOLN — Former state Sen. Brett Lindstrom has found the “pirate ship” he was seeking to revive his bid for Nebraska governor as he hoists a new flag for the America First Party.

Lindstrom registered with the new party Thursday, according to publicly available voter registration data. Lindstrom stuck with his previous running mate — Mike Picard of Omaha, a Navy veteran and club director and head coach of ENVY Volleyball Club.

“Nebraskans deserve another choice in this election,” Lindstrom said in a statement. “They should not be forced to choose between reelecting a governor who, in just three and a half years, has pushed the state to the brink of a fiscal crisis and a political party that has increasingly moved away from our state’s common-sense values.”

Lindstrom, 45, turned in a new batch of signatures seeking to qualify for the ticket. He needs at least 25 valid signatures from new America First Party members to revive his ticket for governor.

Lindstrom estimated he turned in about 64 signatures.

A revived campaign

As of Aug. 26, Nebraskans could begin registering with that party or the new Nebraska Working People Party. The two parties join the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Legal Marijuana NOW entities in the state.

Voter registration began just hours after the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling against objections from the state’s Republican and Democratic parties.

Lindstrom, speaking with reporters after filing his paperwork Tuesday morning, said “unique circumstances and unique times call for a unique procedure.” He cited polarization but asserted a Nebraska future of stability and opportunity is still possible.

“We have a chance to right that ship and get it going in that direction,” Lindstrom said, saying he could run with the America First Party as he did before as a nonpartisan, “no strings attached.”

Election officials confirmed Aug. 13 that Lindstrom fell short of obtaining at least 4,000 valid signatures for the ballot in his first effort, at the time a nonpartisan bid. He turned in 5,765 signatures. Of those, 3,358 were valid.

Lindstrom fails to qualify nonpartisan bid for Nebraska governor; many signatures flagged for fraud

In Lancaster County alone, just 24.6% of the 2,210 signatures Lindstrom turned in for the county were accepted. An undisclosed number were flagged as possibly fraudulent. State and local election officials denied a public records request for the Nebraska Examiner to review the petition pages last week, citing an active criminal investigation.

Six out-of-state petition circulators have so far been arrested on suspicion of gathering fraudulent signatures in Lincoln on proposed amendments to the city charter. Three of those circulators also helped Lindstrom’s campaign.

Lindstrom said he would pursue “every legal avenue available” to hold those responsible for wrongdoing accountable.

At the same time, Lindstrom left open the door for future service. He said he was “open to any and all avenues that allow me to continue doing what I believe is right for Nebraska.”

The four-way race

Legal Marijuana NOW’s Rick Beard of Omaha said in an email to the Examiner on Tuesday: “Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! I’m looking forward to having a debate with all of the gubernatorial candidates.”

A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Jim Pillen of Columbus had no immediate comment Tuesday. The campaign for former Democratic state Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont declined to comment.

The Republican and Democratic campaigns for Nebraska governor had already sought to portray Lindstrom as either more conservative or more liberal than his former nonpartisan label would suggest. Lindstrom had repeatedly said he didn’t want to play “spoiler” in the race, and it wasn’t clear whether his bid, if qualified, would have taken more votes from Walz or Pillen.

Lindstrom had been a lifelong Republican up until March, when he became a registered nonpartisan. He ended his GOP run for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in January; he told the Examiner at the time he didn’t feel like he “fit in this political environment.” 

He previously ran for the GOP nomination for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in 2014 and for governor in 2022, losing to Pillen. He served in the Legislature between 2015 and 2023.

John Cartier of Lincoln, chair of the America First Party, described Lindstrom’s nomination as the party’s effort to give conservatives a home if they’re unsatisfied with the Nebraska Republican Party, confirming that the party seeks, in part, to help draw Republicans. 

The NEGOP lawsuit was in large part over worry the new party would confuse voters.

“Having an ‘R’ next to your name shouldn’t give anyone a free pass for reckless spending, abuses of power or avoiding accountability,” Cartier said in a statement released by Lindstrom’s campaign. “Brett has shown he is willing to think independently and put Nebraska ahead of party politics, and we’re proud to have him leading this ticket.”

‘I’m not playing any game’

Lindstrom has summarized his platform under what he calls the “Nebraska Doctrine.” The doctrine gives broad strokes to how Lindstrom, if elected, would address property taxes and valuations, housing, public power, economic development, artificial intelligence and more.

Lindstrom argued that if Pillen had done, “frankly, an average job,” he wouldn’t be running. Lindstrom believes neither Pillen nor Walz could govern well next year amid political gridlock.

Even with 63 days to the election, Lindstrom said he could still win. He said his administration would “essentially break through the middle, push the extremes to the outsides and govern for the vast majority of people who feel like they’re caught in the crossfire right now.”

“I’m not playing any game,” Lindstrom said. “People want to put me in this political box or try to say I’m doing this or that. No. It’s very transparent.”

The Secretary of State’s Office anticipates completing verification of Lindstrom’s signatures by the end of the day. Signature verification can cease after he has at least 28 valid signatures.