The tickets in this year’s race for Nebraska Governor are officially filled.
At a farm north of Elkhorn on Tuesday, Lynne Walz, the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, announced her running mate and pick for Lieutenant Governor (LG): Ben Steffen.
In Nebraska, the LG runs on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial candidates. It is the second-highest ranking position in the state’s executive branch. LGs oversee a variety of tasks while in office, such as presiding over the state legislature as president (voting only to break ties), taking over as acting governor if the governor is out of the state or unable to serve, and directing the state’s homeland security department.
‘We found our guy’
While Steffen is a statewide political newcomer, he isn’t new to local government.
A farmer and ag leader from Humboldt, Steffen currently serves as board chairman of the Nebraska Rural Radio Association—a cooperative owned and operated network of 15 radio stations across the state. Steffen’s resume also includes:
- President of the Richardson County Rural Water District 1
- Chair of the Richardson County Farm Bureau
- Chair of the Richardson County Planning Commission
- Former president of Ag Builders of Nebraska
- Former chairman of Nebraska Association of County Extension Boards
“I view the Lieutenant Governor as a true partnership,” said Walz before announcing Steffen as her pick. “I wanted someone who is a reflection of the ideals and integrity that Nebraskans are asking for… we found our guy.”
Walz, a former state senator from Fremont, is familiar with the demands of an LG race—as she ran for the office back in 2018, on a joint gubernatorial ticket with then-state Senator Bob Krist, opposing then-Gov. Pete Ricketts in his reelection campaign.
“He is humble, honest, and just an all-around good person,” Walz described Steffen. “I know that we have a winning team. I’m not optimistic. I know we do.”
Steffen said that when Walz called him to ask if he would consider being her running mate, he was in the process of planting corn and nearly crashed his tractor in a ditch.
“It is humbling to be considered,” he said. “We talked for a good while about the role. And she describes it as a partnership to better the lives of working families.”
Steffen said he made the decision to join Walz after careful consideration, having to lean more on his wife and neighbors to continue operations at Steffen Ag Inc.
Their priorities
Key policy themes listed by Steffen and Walz included balancing the state budget, growing rural communities, creating a fair tax system, and delivering property tax relief.
Steffen, who switched his voter registration from Republican to Democrat between the primary and general election in 2024 as reported by Nebraska Examiner, called Walz a “breath of fresh air” and a “complete contrast” to incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.
“It is hard to admit it, but our state is broke,” he said, arguing that Pillen’s administration has failed to manage Nebraska’s finances as the state shifted from a $1.2 billion surplus to repeated budget shortfalls in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Steffen also knocked Pillen over repeatedly promising property tax relief but failing to deliver, also criticizing what he described as “backroom deals.”
“There’s a lack of focus on the issues that impact our daily lives,” he said. “There’s no collaboration. It’s his way or the highway… Lynne Walz is the leader we need now.”
Walz also jabbed Pillen, saying: “Our governor is ignoring the crisis he created. I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life. If I performed any of them like this, I would have been fired.”
If Walz prevails over Pillen this fall, she would be the first Democrat to win a statewide office in Nebraska since 2006, when former Gov. Ben Nelson was elected to the US Senate.
The incumbent LG under Pillen, Joe Kelly, is a prosecutor who previously worked in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and served as US attorney for Nebraska after being appointed by President Donald Trump in 2018.
