From the
Omaha World Herald:
If J. Peter Ricketts runs for the U.S. Senate, he and the wealth he acquired through Ameritrade could shake up the race.
Ricketts, son of the founder of Ameritrade and worth at least $218 million, could become the third Republican to enter the 2006 race in hopes of unseating Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said several people active in the Republican Party.
Ricketts, 40, said Thursday he was resigning as chief operating officer of Ameritrade Holding Inc., the Omaha online brokerage. The company said he was leaving to "explore an opportunity in public service."
Ricketts has been talking with friends and supporters the past couple of weeks, exploring a possible run.
He also met in Washington with Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"He's met with the committee, and we think he'd be a great candidate. Senator Dole had a great meeting with him and was very impressed," said Brian Nick, a spokesman for the committee.
Ricketts also met with Presidents Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, when Rove visited Omaha July 8 and spoke to Ameritrade employees.
With his wealth and business contacts, Ricketts could be a formidable opponent for the two other Republicans who have already declared their candidacies: former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and Omaha lawyer David Kramer.
"If he does run, this primary is starting to look more and more like the 2000 Senate primary, in which I defeated two candidates who spent about a million dollars of their own money," said Stenberg, who is making his third bid for the U.S. Senate after losing in the 2000 general election to Nelson.
