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Charles Herbster
Charles Herbster (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Nebraska. He lost in the Republican primary on May 10, 2022.
Biography
Herbster was born in Falls City, Nebraska. As of 2022, he was the president and chief executive officer of Carico Farms, Herbster Angus Farms, and the Conklin Company.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Nebraska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Governor of Nebraska
Jim Pillen defeated Carol Blood, Scott Zimmerman, Robert Borer, and Dave Wright in the general election for Governor of Nebraska on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Pillen (R) | 59.2 | 398,334 |
 | Carol Blood (D) | 36.0 | 242,006 | |
 | Scott Zimmerman (L) | 3.9 | 26,455 | |
 | Robert Borer (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Dave Wright (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 5,798 | ||
| Total votes: 672,593 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Nebraska
Carol Blood defeated Roy Harris in the Democratic primary for Governor of Nebraska on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carol Blood | 88.7 | 88,859 |
| Roy Harris | 11.3 | 11,267 | ||
| Total votes: 100,126 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Nebraska
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Nebraska on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Pillen | 33.9 | 91,555 |
 | Charles Herbster | 29.9 | 80,771 | |
 | Brett Lindstrom | 26.1 | 70,554 | |
 | Theresa Thibodeau | 6.1 | 16,432 | |
 | Breland Ridenour | 1.7 | 4,685 | |
 | Michael Connely | 1.1 | 2,838 | |
| Donna Nicole Carpenter | 0.6 | 1,536 | ||
 | Lela McNinch | 0.4 | 1,192 | |
| Troy Wentz | 0.3 | 708 | ||
| Total votes: 270,271 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Governor of Nebraska
Scott Zimmerman advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Nebraska on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Zimmerman | 100.0 | 1,595 |
| Total votes: 1,595 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016 presidential election
During the period of transition between the Obama and Trump administrations, Herbster was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in the Trump administration. Politico reported that Herbster was being considered for secretary of agriculture.[2]
| Possible Trump appointee (first term) |
|---|
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| During the 2016 presidential transition of power, Herbster was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in Donald Trump's (R) first term. |
Full list of possible appointees |
See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 |
2014 election
Herbster considered a run for election to the office of Governor. While he had formed a candidate committee, leased office space in Omaha, and assembled a campaign staff, he never formally declared his candidacy. He announced on August 23, 2013, that he would no longer seek the Republican nomination.[3]
After dropping out of the race, Herbster gave fellow Republican Beau McCoy's campaign over $594,000 in cash and more than $265,000 in consultant services that Herbster had already paid for. After his announcement that he was no longer running, Herbster encouraged McCoy to run but did not promise this donation to him.[4] Both McCoy's and Herbster's campaigns believed that after the money was raised for Herbster it could not be returned, only donated to another candidate or charity. Frank Daley, the executive director of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission said that the donations could have been returned to the original donors, including Herbster himself.[5]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Charles Herbster did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Herbster, state Sen. Julie Slama (R) drop competing defamation, sexual battery lawsuits (2022)
In October 2022, Herbster and state Sen. Julie Slama (R) agreed to drop lawsuits they had filed against each other—Herbster a defamation lawsuit against Slama and Slama a sexual battery countersuit against Herbster.
Background
On April 14, 2022, the Nebraska Examiner's Aaron Sanderford reported that Slama and seven other women said that Herbster had sexually assaulted them between 2017 and 2022. According to Sanderford, "Slama confirmed that as she walked by Herbster, he reached up her skirt, without her consent, and touched her inappropriately. ... [Six women] said Herbster groped them on their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants. ... A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly."[6]
Sanderford said the Examiner corroborated each account with either at least one witness or at least one individual who was told of the alleged incident on the same day it was said to have occurred.[6][7] On April 29, a second of the eight women, Elizabeth Todsen, allowed her name to be made public. Todsen said Herbster groped her at the same 2019 fundraiser at which he allegedly groped Slama. Todsen was a legislative assistant at the time.[8][9]
Herbster first responded to the accusations reported by the Nebraska Examiner in a statement on April 14: "These libelous accusations are 100% false. ... It's only after I've threatened the stranglehold the establishment has on this state do they stoop to lies this large. This story is a ridiculous, unfounded dirty political trick being carried out by Pete Ricketts and Jim Pillen."[10] In response to Todsen's account, Herbster's campaign said on April 30, "Just 10 days before the Republican Primary for Governor, Charles W. Herbster’s political opponents with ties to Governor Ricketts have launched this disgusting smear attack on him. ... Charles W. Herbster has already filed legal action against one of the people named in reports and will be taking legal action against others. He will not stop fighting until his name is cleared and he is vindicated."[11]
Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama on April 22, 2022.[12] Slama countersued Herbster for sexual battery on April 25.[13][14] A hearing was held on June 14.[15]
Lawsuits dropped
On October 26, 2022, Herbster and Slama filed a request for the court to dismiss the case with prejudice—meaning the claims could not be refiled—and District Judge Rick A. Schreiner did so on October 27.[16][17] Slama's attorney issued the following joint statement for both parties: "The Parties have dismissed their litigation against each other and will make no further statement on the matter."[18] According to the Nebraska Examiner and Omaha World-Herald, neither side provided information about whether there was a settlement.[18][19]
To view Herbster's lawsuit and read statements from Herbster and Slama's representatives, click here. To view Slama's countersuit, click here.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Charles Herbster 2022 campaign website, "Home," accessed February 28, 2022
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPOLITICO - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedobserve - ↑ Beatrice Daily Sun, McCoy's campaign for Neb. governor gets big boost, September 15, 2013
- ↑ Omaha, Governor's race dropout Herbster donates $860,000 in campaign assets to Beau McCoy, September 14, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nebraska Examiner, "GOP state senator, seven other women say Charles Herbster groped them; he denies allegations," April 14, 2022
- ↑ Nebraska Examiner, "Three people speak on the record to confirm allegations of groping by Charles Herbster," April 19, 2022
- ↑ Nebraska Examiner, "A second woman steps forward by name to allege Charles Herbster groped her," April 30, 2022
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Second woman accuses Herbster of 'groping' her at dinner event," April 30, 2022
- ↑ Facebook, "Charles W. Herbster on April 14, 2022," accessed April 18, 2022
- ↑ The Hill, "Second woman publicly accuses Trump-backed candidate of sexual misconduct," April 30, 2022
- ↑ WOWT, "Herbster files lawsuit against Nebraska State Sen. Julie Slama," April 22, 2022
- ↑ WOWT, "Nebraska State Sen. Julie Slama countersues candidate Herbster," April 25, 2022
- ↑ KETV Omaha, "Slama's attorney alleges Herbster trying to 'bully sexual assault victims into silence' with new attack ad," April 26, 2022
- ↑ WOWT, "Herbster, Slama cases underway as judge examines defamation, sexual battery lawsuits," June 14, 2022
- ↑ Johnson County District Court, "Case No. CI 22-27: Joint Stipulation for Dismissal with Prejudice," October 26, 2022
- ↑ Johnson County District Court, "Case No. CI 22-27: Order of Dismissal with Prejudice," October 27, 2022
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Nebraska Examiner, "Gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster and State Sen. Julie Slama agree to drop dueling lawsuits," October 28, 2022
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Charles Herbster and Julie Slama agree to drop dueling lawsuits," October 28, 2022
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