Conboy Runs on Ploy to Undermine the Republican Party in Nebraska

Chuck Conboy's U.S. Senate campaign is arriving alongside one of the most unusual developments in Nebraska politics: the one-month old formation of the self-branded “America First Party,” which is accused of being a late-breaking “spoiler” political party.

While the new party describes itself as a conservative alternative focused on limiting government spending and opposing illegal immigration, these positions are surprising given that the party’s founder, John Cartier, is a well-known liberal lobbyist and operative in Nebraska’s political scene.

That may be why the party's arrival has drawn strong opposition from Nebraska Republicans. The Nebraska GOP sued to keep the America First Party off the ballot, arguing that the party's name was intentionally designed to confuse conservative voters and "divide the votes that would otherwise go to Republican candidates."

Republicans specifically pointed to the phrase "America First," arguing that it is closely associated with the modern Republican movement and could lead voters to assume the new party is connected to the Republicans or President Donald Trump. A Lancaster County judge rejected the challenge, and the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld that decision in August.

That leaves Conboy on the November ballot alongside Sen. Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn.