NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KMTV) — University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen prefers talking to Nebraska voters in small groups. Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster likes putting on a show.
On Wednesday, two of the top Republicans running for governor visited this gateway city to the Sandhills, hosting political events that reflected each candidate’s favored approach to campaigning.
State Sen Brett Lindstrom and former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau, two other candidates in the Republican governor’s primary, also were on the road Wednesday. Lindstrom talked to about 60 people in Gering Tuesday night. He held campaign events Wednesday in North Platte and Cozad before attending a young professionals event in Hastings.
Thibodeau held “grassroots” events Wednesday in Grand Island and Hastings on Wednesday.
Pillen’s campaign, working with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, hosted about 30 voters for a town hall at Pals Brewing Co. They took questions at the local brewpub, known for its pizza and beer.
Herbster’s team, working with Donald Trump Jr., rallied more than 200 people at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds who were promised a chance to hear “Junior” and Herbster talk.
North Platte voter Amanda Snide, part of the Nebraska State Legislative Board-International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, stopped by Pals to speak with Pillen about supporting two-person train crews.
She said she hadn’t decided who she’s supporting personally in the race, but she said she met Herbster at a recent debate and wanted to know more about Pillen and what he stands for.
Clydene Britton of North Platte said she appreciated the small group at Pals because she wanted to learn more about the candidates than she can from TV commercials. Her key issue: abortion.
“I want to hear them speak,” she said.
‘No magic wand’
North Platte banker Chance Schilling, who attended the Herbster rally, said he had some customers who helped put on the event, so he came out to support them and hear more from Herbster.
Schilling said he hasn’t decided who to support in the race. He said he wants to hear more about property taxes and tax reform, adding that Nebraskans also want to protect the government services they rely upon.
“There is no magic wand for that,” he said. “I’ve been to every candidate forum that has been out here. I’m just keeping an open mind and listening to both sides of the story.”
Pillen’s town hall was his second of three such gatherings Wednesday. The others were in Paxton and Lexington. Pillen introduced himself and talked about faith, family, taxes and agriculture. He told two college professors about the physics class that frightened him.
He highlighted the need to help Nebraska grow good jobs for their kids and to train and prepare them for those jobs. He talked about the need to offer scholarships and incentives. He also asked those present to share their concerns and took questions.
“Why I’m running for governor?” Pillen said. “I try to keep it really simple. … One is our kids. Two is taxes, less government. Three is agriculture. And four is values.”
Herbster loyal to Trump
Across town, Trump Jr. was a big draw for people who spoke with the Nebraska Examiner. Schilling said he hadn’t seen the county fairgrounds parking lot that full in “a long while.”
The crowd cheered loudest when Trump Jr. mocked the performance of Democrats, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden. They applauded when he said Herbster had been loyal to his dad.
“He was a supporter of the movement … back when it wasn’t expedient,” Trump Jr. said of Herbster. “He was a believer when we had zero chance of winning, and there’s a difference.”
Herbster talked about the need to get God and parents back into public schools, about critical race theory and property taxes. More than 300 attended his rally with Trump Jr. in Gering on Wednesday, the campaign said, and hundreds more attended the rally in Grand Island.
“I want a job as CEO of the state of Nebraska because I know we can build this state,” Herbster said. “I know we can sell this state. I know we can market this state.”
To be clear, Pillen has held larger rallies at times with Gov. Pete Ricketts. And Herbster has held small group meetings on the campaign trail. But both have said they prefer what they did Wednesday.
Both methods are effective
Joan Blauwkamp, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, said research shows both types of campaigning are effective with voters in different ways.
Rallies, she said, can boost voter enthusiasm and turnout. And small-group meetings can be more effective with the active, stronger partisans who vote most often in party primaries.
Primaries are complicated for voters, Blauwkamp said, because they are often picking between candidates who share similar beliefs and who have distinctions that are harder to see.
“It elevates niche issues, personality traits, who’s on TV more,” she said, adding that Republican primary race voters get signals from appearances by Trump Jr. and Farm Bureau events.
One thing she warned against, however, was trying to judge levels of voter support by how many people attended a rally or event. In crowds, it’s hard to tell who’s local and new.
Her advice to those weighing how to vote in the May 10 GOP primary lineup, which includes Pillen, Herbster, Lindstrom and Thibodeau: Think.
Questions they should consider, Blauwkamp said, include: “Is this person qualified and competent to occupy this office? And among the people who are qualified, which one or ones do I think will be the most effective at moving public policy in the direction I support?”
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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