LINCOLN, Neb (KMTV) — There has been a lot of shake-up in the legislature this year and we haven’t even made it to the general election.
The body has seen a senator resign, another pass away and a third be elected to congress.
All three’s replacements have been appointed by Governor Ricketts, who announced on Friday that Norfolk native Rob Dover would be taking over the open District 19 seat.
“Rob is an entrepreneur. You look at the businesses he has started, he is the president of Coldwell Banker Dover Realtors since 1988 and then also the Dover management company which you have been president of since 2008,” said Ricketts.
These three early appointees will be one of many new faces when the legislature returns in January.
In addition to the three new appointees, 13 other senators have retired or were term-limited in 2022.
It remains to be seen what the political makeup of the body will be when elections are over but Dover’s politics line up closely with former District 19 representative Mike Flood, who was recently elected to Congress.
“He is also someone who will represent the conservative values of the district. He is going to be strong on pro-life, he will defend our second amendment rights, he is looking to control spending and deliver more tax relief in the future,” said Ricketts.
Unlike the 13 other open seats Dover has the potential to have an immediate impact should the governor call a special session to address abortion but as of Friday there was no indication of when that session will be called.
“I'm still working with the speaker and I have no news and no updates on that one,” said Ricketts.
Dover’s term will run through 2025 and Dover has said he intends to run for re-election when the time comes.
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