OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - The fight for control of the Republican Party is pitting Donald Trump and his supporters against traditional, mainstream Republicans like some of the members of the Ricketts family of Nebraska.
Marlene Ricketts, wife of Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, and Governor Pete Ricketts donated $3 million to a political Super PAC that opposes Donald Trump, according to media reports.
The news broke over the weekend; Monday, Trump tweeted: “I hear the Rickets [sic] family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $’s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!”
Trump didn’t elaborate on what, he says, the family is hiding.
"Marlene Ricketts shares the disappointment of many Trump supporters who believe that our leaders in Washington have failed us, and also believes our next President must be a principled leader. In her view, Donald Trump has not been a consistent conservative and therefore would be unpredictable as our party leader," a family representative told the Omaha World-Herald.
Federal election filings show the Super PAC "Our Principles, PAC" received $3 million from individual donors in January. The PAC spent $2.4 million in just February against Trump in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire.
But all that money didn't slow down the businessman and reality television star, who's now surging toward Super Tuesday after winning the South Carolina primary. Many believe he’s changing the face of the Republican Party.
“He's clearly a legit candidate. And he's doing better than anyone expected. In fact, he's been underestimated from the very start, and I think the establishment republican part is starting to figure they better quit under estimating him,” said UNO political science professor Paul Landow.
Governor Ricketts released a statement Monday acknowledging his mother has made political contributions, "It came to my attention a couple of weeks ago that my mother had contributed to this organization. Members of my family are politically active on both sides of the aisle, and they independently decide who to contribute to and support."
