LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) 鈥 In one of his first acts as Nebraska鈥檚 governor, Republican Jim Pillen named his predecessor to the state鈥檚 vacant U.S. Senate seat on Thursday.
Pillen surprised no one in naming fellow Republican Pete Ricketts to the seat vacated Sunday by Ben Sasse.
The governor said 111 people applied for the vacant seat and nine people 鈥 all Republicans 鈥 were interviewed. He said he chose Ricketts based on their shared conservatism and Ricketts鈥 promise that he would later run to be elected to the seat.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in placeholders. I believe that every day matters. 鈥 Placeholders don鈥檛 have any accountability to the people,鈥 Pillen said.
Ricketts said he would fight for conservative values and a strong national defense, and would work to hold leaders in Washington accountable for waste and fraud.
鈥淭his is an unexpected opportunity,鈥 Ricketts said. 鈥淚 am humbled and grateful.鈥
He also promised to continue Sasse鈥檚 vocal criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, saying he will work with Republican colleagues in the Senate to reduce China鈥檚 geopolitical influence.
Ricketts' appointment came .
Pillen was elected in November in large part because of Ricketts鈥 backing, which included more than $100,000 of his own money contributed directly to Pillen鈥檚 campaign. Ricketts also gave nearly $1.3 million this year to the political action committee Conservative Nebraska, which ran a slew of attack ads against Pillen鈥檚 primary opponents, including the Trump-backed candidate, Charles Herbster.
The reproach was repeated Thursday by state Democrats.
鈥淕ov. Pillen appointed Pete Ricketts in order to pay him back for buying the governor鈥檚 seat,鈥 Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said in a statement. 鈥淭his is the most blatant pay-to-play scheme we鈥檝e seen in our state, and it鈥檚 happening right in front of us all. Nebraskans deserve a Senator who will work for them, not someone who buys elections as a hobby.鈥
On Thursday, Pillen rejected criticism that his selection of Ricketts amounted to backroom dealing.
鈥淎nybody who knows me knows that鈥檚 just not in my DNA,鈥 Pillen said, adding that he has 鈥渨ay too much respect for Nebraskans鈥 to select anyone he didn鈥檛 believe would be elected by the majority of voters.
Pillen handily defeated Democrat Carol Blood in the November general election in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat as governor since 1994. But the GOP primary was much closer, with Pillen squeezing past Herbster to win the nomination in a nine-person race.
Ricketts will serve two years before a special election is held in 2024 to finish out the last two years of Sasse鈥檚 term. He would then have to seek reelection in 2026 for a full six-year term.
Sasse that he would be leaving the Senate just two years into his second six-year term to take .
Ricketts steps into his new role as one of the richest senators in the chamber, with a reputation for using that wealth to back conservative causes and candidates. Ricketts put his net worth at about $50 million when he ran for a second term as governor in 2018.
Ricketts is expected to be sworn in when the U.S. Senate reconvenes on Jan. 23.
