Election 2022: Groping claims roil Nebraska governor primary

[Omaha Steve]

FILE - Nebraska Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, left, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally for Herbster, May 1, 2022, in Greenwood, Neb. Nebraska Nebraska Republicans will pick a nominee for governor on Tuesday, May 10, to replace Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who's prevented by term limit laws from running again. (Kenneth Ferriera/Lincoln Journal Star via AP, File)


By GRANT SCHULTE

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Republicans will pick a nominee for governor Tuesday in a bitter primary race that was upended in recent weeks after a leading candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump was accused of groping at least eight women over the last few years.

Charles Herbster, a businessman and cattle breeder who has denied the allegations, is in a nine-way GOP primary to replace Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who’s prevented by term limit laws from running again. Other leading candidates include Jim Pillen, a veterinarian and hog farm owner endorsed by Ricketts, and state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser who gained traction recently with a surge of money and support from the city’s Republican mayor.

The winner will emerge as a strong favorite in November’s general election in Republican-dominated Nebraska. State Sen. Carol Blood is the top candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Carol's page: https://www.electcarolblood.com/

Donate to Carol Blood here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/duforblood

Both Nebraska and West Virginia are holding primary elections on Tuesday night, with select races providing some measure of the former president’s enduring sway with GOP voters. In addition to the Nebraska governor’s race, Trump has weighed in on a West Virginia congressional primary between two Republican incumbents. The former president backed Rep. Alex Mooney over Rep. David McKinley, who angered Trump by voting for President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure package and the creation of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

FULL story here: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterms-nebraska-west-virginia-results-2310bff8fc215850bba672938013f059