Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen picked up endorsements from the Omaha Police Officers' Association, the Lincoln Police Union and the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police on Monday, adding law enforcement muscle to his reelection campaign just over a week before Election Day. The announcement came during an event in central Omaha as Pillen seeks a second term against a field that includes former Nebraska senator Lynne Walz, America First Party candidate Brett Lindstrom and Legal Marijuana Now candidate Rick Beard.
Police Groups Cite Pay and Support for Injured Officers
All three organizations said Pillen has been a major supporter of their work, according to 3 News Now. Tony Conner, president of the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police and an Omaha police sergeant, credited Pillen with helping secure a contract with the FOP that raised pay for correctional officers and said Pillen picked up the phone when called. Patrick Dempsey, president of the Omaha Police Officers' Association, credited Pillen with reaching out to injured officers and their families, calling him a true friend of law enforcement, while Joe Villamonte, president of the Lincoln Police Union, said he appreciated Pillen's support for needed public safety spending. Pillen, for his part, said he was grateful for the endorsements and argued that the only reason the state is safe is because of the men and women in blue, as reported by the Omaha World-Herald.
Conner also pointed to Nebraska Legislative Bill 727, passed in 2023, which he said helped law enforcement recruitment and retention by assisting with tuition costs for Nebraska officers and their children. The endorsements build on a run of law enforcement support for Pillen this election cycle. In late December, the State Troopers Association of Nebraska formally endorsed his reelection, with the group's Lucas Bolton pointing to a 22.1% pay increase for troopers secured through a 2022 labor contract Pillen signed shortly after taking office, according to 1011 Now. Bolton said larger academy classes following those pay and benefits increases have moved the Nebraska State Patrol closer to its goal of 550 troopers. That same report noted Pillen had already banked endorsements from former Gov. Dave Heineman and President Donald Trump.
Walz Points to Her Own Record With Police
Walz's campaign pushed back on the framing that law enforcement is uniformly behind Pillen. Spokesperson Sophie Mestas said Walz was named Fraternal Order of Police Legislator of the Year during her time in the Nebraska Legislature, and the Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police has said Walz stood up to her own party to defend police and supported legislation for first responders and their families, per the Omaha World-Herald's reporting. Walz herself said that as governor she would protect the services Nebraskans depend on, starting with the people who keep them safe.
Walz's campaign also criticized state budget changes under Pillen, saying he turned a $1.2 billion surplus into a billion-dollar deficit and accusing him of raiding more than 90 funds, including funds for veterans and schools, and ordering a 5% cut to every state agency, including public safety. The dueling claims reflect a broader pattern this fall: Pillen and Walz have repeatedly staged competing endorsement events to court conservative-leaning voters, as the Nebraska Examiner reported after both camps leaned into conservative support in late September. That month also brought an endorsement from the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, which declared it wanted four more years of Pillen's leadership, according to Nebraska Public Media. The same outlet reported that Walz had countered with her own cross-party support, including from three former Republican state senators — Mark Kolterman, John Stinner and Tim Gragert — along with an endorsement from the Nebraska Farmers Union PAC, while the National Federation of Independent Business's Nebraska PAC backed Pillen.
Polls Disagree on Who Is Ahead
The endorsement battle comes amid conflicting polling data about where the race actually stands. A Public Policy Polling survey found Pillen holding a lead of just 1 percentage point over Walz, according to the Omaha World-Herald. But a Concord Public Opinion Partners poll of likely 2026 general-election voters found Walz ahead of Pillen 43% to 40%, with 9% favoring someone else and 8% undecided.
The polls offer differing snapshots of the race. Nebraska's general election is set for November 3, and early voting is already underway across the state.
