OMAHA, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) — Four days after hosting more than 3,000 people at a rally in eastern Nebraska, former President Donald Trump is dialing back into the state’s GOP primary race for governor.
Trump is hosting a “telephone rally” Thursday with Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster. Trump’s team has scheduled an hour-long call at 6 p.m. CDT.
Herbster is in a competitive race for the state’s Republican nomination for governor with University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom headng into Tuesday’s primary election.
Herbster, in a podcast interview Wednesday with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, said his internal polling shows him “maintaining” a slight lead. Other candidates’ recent polls have shown different leaders.
Most political observers expect a close race, swayed by still-undecided voters.
In another twist that might skew polling results, 8,400 Nebraskans have registered as Republicans since the beginning of March. The number of registered Democrats and independents dropped by nearly the same number. Only registered Republicans can vote in the GOP primary.
Trump held a similar phone rally in Ohio for U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance, who won the GOP nomination there Tuesday. Trump endorsed Vance late in the race.
By contrast, his endorsement of Herbster in Nebraska came in October, which Herbster has promoted heavily for months. Political observers have questioned how many GOP primary voters didn’t already know Trump’s choice.
The phone number for the Trump-Herbster rally is (308) 210-7274.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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