Watch now: Donald Trump Jr. joins Herbster, Pillen touts grassroots effort in North Platte stops | Politics

[ad_1]

By Tim Johnson

Charles Herbster says he’s not a politician and doesn’t want to be categorized as one.

In fact, the businessman, farmer and rancher says he is running to be the CEO of Nebraska rather than its governor.

“I know we can build this state, I know we can sell this state,” the Republican candidate said Wednesday at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in North Platte.

“I know we can market this state and we can make Nebraska an absolute light on a shining hill here in the Midwest.”

The North Platte stop was the second of three across the state where Herbster, of Falls City, stumped for the May 10 GOP primary alongside Donald Trump Jr., son of former President Donald Trump.

Also Wednesday, two other GOP gubernatorial candidates – University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen of Columbus and state Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha – made campaign stops in North Platte.

Lindstrom visited with local business people in the morning at the Espresso Shop in the Canteen District. Pillen touted his grassroots campaign while visiting with about 30 people at Pals Brewing Company at the same time as Herbster’s appearance.

People are also reading…

At the fairgrounds, Herbster’s crowd filled one-third to one-half of the meeting room in the Ag Activities Center.

Gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster, right, applauds the crowd while standing alongside Donald Trump Jr. during a campaign stop at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.

Tim Johnson / The North Platte Telegraph

Herbster has received the endorsement of Trump’s father and served as the chairman of the former president’s Agriculture and Rural Advisory Committee.

He addressed the crowd for about nine minutes, touching on education, religion, election integrity, law enforcement and illegal immigration.

“Every state is a border state,” Herbster said. “They’re not all staying in Texas and Arizona. They are coming to Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.

“We can’t let (in) illegal aliens, illegal immigrants coming across the border to ruin what we have culture-wise in this state.”

Trump Jr. took the stage after Herbster and spoke twice as long.

Trump Jr. said his family owes Herbster a debt of gratitude because he was “a supporter of the movement, of my father, of the ideas, back when it wasn’t expedient.”

“We see a lot of people, they jump on a bandwagon when they can get something for themselves,” he added. “He was a supporter, he was a believer, when we had zero chance of winning. There is a difference. ”

Trump Jr. also appealed to those in attendance at the fairgrounds.

“We need you guys to be invested. You’ve seen how powerful good conservative leadership can be in the governor’s office across America, ”Trump Jr. said. said.

“We need guys like Charles Herbster, and more importantly, we need you guys to fight for guys like Charles Herbster and for those people who have the guts to step off that private sector, to fight and take not just the other side but take on the establishment. ”

Trump Jr. also took a number of shots at the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden.

“We’ve seen what (the Democrats) can do in this country in one year,” he said. “It’s the only place they’ve overperformed. I was like, ‘It’s going to take them four years to destroy our country.’ Man, they’re doing a really good job. ”

University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, a Republican candidate for governor, greets well-wishers Wednesday at a meet-and-greet session at Pals Brewing Company.

Todd von Kampen / The North Platte Telegraph

While Herbster and Trump Jr. spoke at the fairgrounds, Pillen was urging local supporters at Pals Brewing to take yard signs and spread the word about his own gubernatorial campaign.

“I can tell you (that in) my experience this past year of meeting people all across the state, Nebraskans are very special people,” Pillen said.

He touted the value of a good political “ground game” in a brief interview at the end of the Nebraska Farm Bureau-sponsored event.

Wednesday’s turnout was “humbling and overwhelming (with) the people who are engineering our campaign helping and supporting us,” Pillen said. “Our grassroots campaign is second to none.”

When asked about Herbster’s simultaneous appearance with the former president’s son, Pillen cited his own endorsements by Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, Tom Osborne – his 1970s Nebraska football coach – and the state Farm Bureau.

He also referred to Herbster’s heavy bankrolling of his own campaign. “Nebraskans can’t be bought, and Nebraskans care about what Nebraskans think,” he said.

Telegraph reporters Todd von Kampen and Job Vigil also contributed to this story.

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

[ad_2]