The public record, front and center
The Secretary of State’s Final Statewide General Candidate List, certified September 11, 2026, shows two candidates for University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 04:
| Name on ballot | Party | City |
|---|---|---|
| Susanne Shore | Nonpartisan (D by campaign) | Omaha |
| Justin Solomon | Nonpartisan | Omaha |
The same certified list, page 1, shows Pete Ricketts — U.S. Senate, Republican, incumbent — also on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Susanne Shore is Pete Ricketts’s wife. She uses her maiden name professionally and in her campaign. [Ballotpedia]
Running for office is a legal right. This page documents the public record — who is on the ballot, who funded the campaign, what was filed. No adjective is attached to any of it.
How they got here: two timelines, one ballot
Two careers, one household, and in 2026 the same ballot. Each row is a dated public record with its source. A dash means nothing on this page’s record for that person on that date, not that nothing happened.
| Date | Pete Ricketts | Susanne Shore |
|---|---|---|
| 1964, Aug 19 | Born in Omaha, oldest of four children of Joe and Marlene Ricketts. [Wikipedia] | — |
| 1975 | His father, Joe Ricketts, co-founds First Omaha Securities in Omaha, the company that becomes Ameritrade. [Wikipedia] | — |
| 1997 | They marry in Omaha. [Wikipedia] [National Governors Association] | |
| 2004 | By his own written account, joins the board of Gambling with the Good Life: “I realized that real citizens can make a difference by getting involved.” His version, given in 2024; a 2004 record of the board seat is not yet on this page. [Flatwater Free Press, 2024-09-19] | — |
| 2006 | Runs for U.S. Senate, spends $12 million of his own money, and loses to Democrat Ben Nelson by nearly 28 points. [Flatwater Free Press] | — |
| 2014, May 13 | Wins the Republican primary for Governor by about one point over Jon Bruning, 26.91% to 25.84%, in a six-way field. [Wikipedia] | — |
| 2014, Nov 4 | Wins the governor’s race, 57.15% to 39.23%. [Wikipedia] | Becomes First Lady of Nebraska when he takes office, and serves through 2023. [National Governors Association] |
| 2022, Jan 21 | Gives $100,000 to Jim Pillen’s campaign for Governor, in Nebraska’s own campaign finance records. [NADC record] | — |
| 2023, Jan 12 | Governor Pillen appoints him to the U.S. Senate seat left by Ben Sasse. [CNN] | — |
| 2024, Nov 5 | Wins the special Senate election, 62.58% to 37.42%, over Democrat Preston Love Jr. The first time voters, not a governor’s appointment, put him in that seat. [Nebraska Examiner] | — |
| 2026, Feb 19 | — | Announces a run for University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 4, as a Democrat. [Nebraska Examiner, 2026-02-19] |
| 2026, May 12 | Wins the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, 81.5%. [Nebraska Public Media] | Same day: wins the nonpartisan Regent D04 primary with 34.7% (9,846 votes). Justin Solomon is second with 24.8%. [Ballotpedia] |
| 2026, Apr 28 to Jun 16 | — | His sister, Laura Ricketts, gives $10,000 to her campaign. NADC Form B-1, Schedule A, which Shore provided to this site. |
| 2026, Sep 11 | Certified for the November ballot, U.S. Senate. [SoS certified list] | Certified for the November ballot, Regent District 04. [SoS certified list] |
| 2026, Sep 29 | — | Answers this site’s five questions within 24 hours. Her full reply is below. |
| 2026, Oct 1 | — | Public forum, Kroc Center, Omaha, 6:00 PM, per her own answer. |
| 2026, Nov 3 | Both on the same general election ballot: he for a full Senate term, she for Regent, District 04. Jim Pillen, who appointed him, is on it too, for a second term as Governor. | |
The full Ricketts family timeline, including Ameritrade and the 2022 governor’s race, is on the Pillen-Ricketts appointment page. Not on this timeline yet, because this page has not sourced them: the date he was sworn in as Governor, and his 2018 re-election figures.
What the Board of Regents actually does
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents governs the entire University of Nebraska system: UNL (Lincoln), UNO (Omaha), UNMC (Medical Center), UNK (Kearney). Eight elected regents. District 04 covers the Omaha area.
Their decisions include: tuition rates, faculty hiring and firing, the university president’s contract, the annual budget (approximately $4.4 billion), and major construction and land deals.
Source: nebraska.edu/board-of-regents
The money: NADC post-primary filing
Susanne Shore’s campaign filed Form B-1 with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. This is a primary document — the source record, not a summary.
Period: April 28 – June 16, 2026 · Treasurer: Burke Harr, Flatwater Strategies
Total receipts, election year to date: $212,219.70
Raised this period: $41,650.00 · Cash on hand June 16, 2026: $59,075.71
Source: NADC Form B-1, attached to campaign email received 2026-09-29. Next filing period closes 2026-09-29; report due 2026-10-05. Filed at nadc.nebraska.gov.
Schedule A — selected receipts this period
| Donor | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Ricketts | $10,000.00 | Pete Ricketts’s sister. [Wikipedia] [NPR, 2014] A Democrat donating to a Democrat. |
Schedule B — selected expenditures this period
| Payee | Amount | Described as |
|---|---|---|
| Don Bacon Victory PAC | $1,000.00 | Contribution |
| Women Who Run Nebraska | $1,500.00 | Contribution |
| Hawkins Construction | $5,000.00 | Expenditure |
All figures as filed, from the copy she attached. Her email says NADC does not allow a direct link to one candidate’s report; we have not checked that (see the checks). To look for it yourself, search at nadc.nebraska.gov under “Shore for Regent.”
Pete Ricketts (R) gave $100,000 to Jim Pillen’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign. Full story on the Pillen-Ricketts appointment page.
Laura Ricketts (D) gave $10,000 to Susanne Shore’s 2026 Regent campaign.
Both are documented in primary NADC filings. No conclusion is drawn from the family connection.
This site reached out — here is what came back
On September 28, 2026, this site emailed Shore and her opponent Justin Solomon the same five questions, one minute apart (10:07 AM and 10:08 AM). Solomon had not replied as of 2026-09-30.
Shore replied on September 29, 2026, within 24 hours. Her full email, word for word:
Susanne
1. The best information is at ShoreForRegent.com
2. The last filing was made in June, after the primary; I am attaching that report. The next filing date ends today and the report must be filed by October 5th. I am sure you know this but just to be thorough, those reports can always be found at the NADC site: https://nadc.nebraska.gov/view-campaign-filings-personal-financial-disclosures-potential-conflicts-lobbying-reports-and-more. The site does not allow a person to send a direct link to a specific candidate’s report.
3. The only public forum on the calendar right now is on Thursday, Oct 1st at 6pm at the Kroc Center in Omaha. It is sponsored by South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance (SONA).
4. I have no additional information beyond what is on my NADC filing.
5. No corrections to the information. You are correct that my last name is Shore and always has been.”
She answered all five questions, below her signature, and attached her NADC post-primary campaign finance report (Form B-1). The numbers from that filing are in the section above. Her card on the In Their Own Words page prints the same answers.
Contact she used to reply: susanneshoreforregent@gmail.com. Address from the Secretary of State’s certified list (official source).
What’s still open
- Shore’s general election NADC filing — period closes 2026-09-29, report due 2026-10-05. Will be added when filed.
- Solomon has not replied. His space is held open on In Their Own Words.
- Public forum: Shore’s own answer names one, Thursday, October 1, 2026, 6:00 PM, Kroc Center, Omaha, sponsored by the South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance (SONA). That is her statement; we have not seen SONA’s own listing.
General election: November 3, 2026. Both Shore and Solomon are on the ballot.