Dear Governor Pillen,

I know you’re bummed that the Unicameral didn’t pass Winner Take All, but it may not be as bad for you politically as you might think.

Sure, you wanted to pass the legislation to please President Trump and try to get his endorsement for reelection. You wanted to stop him from getting behind Charles Herbster like he did last time, but losing this vote may not be all that bad for you after all.

I doubt you want to take any advice from me but please hear me out.

Historically the only candidate the president has really helped is Donald J Trump himself. His coattails only go so far. Do a Google search for candidates Trump has endorsed and you’ll see that of the 44 races Wikipedia has listed, Trump’s candidates have lost 22. And many of the ones that did win were going to win with or without his backing. Do you really think Mitch McConnell would have lost in Kentucky, or Ted Cruz in Texas if they hadn’t had Trump’s seal of approval?

Now let’s take a closer look at what’s happening here at home. The president is no fan of Don Bacon, but the congressman is doing just fine without him. I believe his endorsement of Deb Fischer helped Dan Osborn as much as it helped her. And let’s not forget that not only did Trump endorse Herbster the last time around, he even came to the state to hold a rally for him. How did that work out?

But wait there’s more! The MAGA crowd may have taken over the Nebraska GOP but have any of their primary endorsements won? Ask Mike McDonnell how much they helped him.

All of this was before Trump got us into a global trade war that has tanked the stock market and will cause even more inflation. This was before our farmers were unable to sell their goods overseas and before DOGE created so much chaos with their haphazard cuts that were going to hurt not only the families of those he has fired but the voters these government employees helped. And who knows what else is on the horizon before it’s time for your campaign?

Yes, sucking up to the Commander in Chief may not be as beneficial to you as you think.

But I will tell you what will help in your reelection bid.

Change your stance on Medical Marijuana.

Seventy percent of Nebraskans voted to allow marijuana to be legal for medical purposes. SEVENTY PERCENT! These are not big-city hippies wanting to get high. These are families from places like Ogalalla, Chadron, and McCook. Yes, the voters in Omaha and Lincoln want it but so do the voters in your hometown of Columbus.

The seventy percent of Nebraska voters who want Medical Marijuana include a bunch of Republican primary voters. Voters will be more enthused by a candidate who helps their child suffering from epilepsy, or their parents dealing with cancer, than they will a candidate endorsed by a man who is causing them financial pain.

Herbster may not be the only roadblock to your reelection. What if a more moderate Republican candidate like Brett Lindstrom decides to make another run for office?

As you well know, in Nebraska the Republican primary for governor may as well be the general election. Until the state’s Democratic party gets its act together and returns to the days of Jim Exxon, Bob Kerry, and Ben Nelson, I doubt your party will ever have any serious competition from the left.

So, if you’re thinking about your reelection chances, losing Winner Take All could very well be a blessing in disguise. But your current stance on Medical Marijuana could be your downfall.

Governor Pillen, I seriously doubt you’ll take any of what I say here seriously. After all your people physically blocked me from asking you questions when you ran for office the first time. You have gone out of your way to avoid debates or anything else that might challenge your way of thinking. But now is the time for you to embrace the economic gains and political relevance dividing our electoral college votes gives us. Embrace legalizing Medical Marijuana. I believe it will make your path to reelection a little easier.

To quote renowned conservative Barry Goldwater, “In your heart you know I’m right.”

Sincerely,

Tom Becka

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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