Preston Love Jr.'s Election Night Remarks: Thanking Supporters + Charting Next Steps Celebrating the Victories

OMAHA, NE - U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love, Jr. delivered remarks tonight in Omaha, conceding the election to Pete Ricketts, thanking his supporters, and announcing plans for the future.

Preston Love Jr. said:

"My name is Preston Love, and as a collective, we ran for the United States Senate to put people over politics, because we were tired of seeing our leaders widen the partisan, geographic, and racial gaps between us instead of working to bridge them.

Tonight, while we were not victorious in our race, we saw that hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans agree: It’s time for us to say enough is enough and put everyday people first.

I spoke with Senator Pete Ricketts and thanked him for running a clean campaign with me. We agreed to sit down in the coming weeks to discuss how we can better serve all Nebraskans - even the projected 300,000+ who did not vote for him.

I still believe that Nebraskans deserve access to affordable healthcare, reproductive rights, voting rights, and thriving economies in rural and urban areas of the state. Tonight, we know that hundreds of thousands of Nebraska voters agree.

I want to thank all of the supporters who have been with us throughout this campaign. I’ve traveled all across the state this year, and I was heartened and inspired by the reception we received in both our smallest towns and largest cities. There are Democrats, Independents, and common-sense Republicans all across Nebraska who are looking to change the status quo. I was honored to meet them over the course of this campaign. Going forward these efforts have identified a network for collaborations to address the overall needs and concerns for those who call Nebraska home.

I want to thank my wife, Martha Parker Love, for her unwavering support and significant work on this campaign. I of course also want to thank my diligent campaign staff, who went above and beyond with me on this historic journey. I have a special thanks to my communications team (Sarah and Daniel) for all of their work in helping us spread this message. I want to thank Ricki Barber in Lincoln, Nebraska for his unwavering support having gone above and beyond. To Ethan, Candace, Vince, Veta and Zion, our many drivers and the many others who gave of their time, treasure and support in doing the work with a minimum amount of funding, along with the Nebraska Democratic Party for their support.

I was also grateful for endorsements from organizations like the Nebraska State Education Association, SEIU, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, the Communication Workers of America, the American Retirement Association, and importantly the Nebraska Farmers Union PAC.

While we didn’t get the most votes tonight, we surely believe that God’s will was served and I think it’s important for us to define the victories we did achieve together this year. We achieved many milestones along the campaign trail. I was honored to be the first African-American Senate nominee from a major party in Nebraska history. We also had more than 5,000 individual donors to our campaign, and we engaged 1.25 million voters covering over 1,000 miles across the state since our announcement.

We supported the blue dot and the historic candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris. We helped to boost turnout for my friend Tony Vargas in his race for the House of Representatives, and most importantly, we showed voters that their VOICE matters in these elections. We gave voters a real choice.

All of these victories add up, and we’re not going to stop just because the election is over. We are committed to building on this momentum through the network that has been created through collaborative efforts across the state. The Republican party can learn and benefit from this collaboration or continue with party, divisions and divisiness. I will be meeting with and taking this opportunity to both Senator Pete Ricketts and Governor Jim Pillen.

To this end, I’m proud to announce three new initiatives tonight.

First, we will be moving forward on a top priority I identified during this campaign. We will be seeking support for a comprehensive and bipartisan disparity needs-assessment study in each of Nebraska’s three Congressional Districts. Researchers working on this study will be charged with preparing a report and recommendations on how the state and federal governments can better serve the unique needs of constituents in each district.

Secondly, we will be opening the North Omaha Visitor’s Center, led by Ava Kelly, who is here with us tonight. The Visitor’s Center will be a community resource for all, and serve as the Soul of Omaha, telling our story to locals and national visitors alike and bringing funds to the area driving economic dollars to our local businesses helping us to change the economic landscape of North Omaha by driving more tourism.

Thirdly, these statewide efforts over this last year highlighted the need for there to be a gathering of comprehensive bipartisan leaders throughout the state to work together for change, addressing the disparities across Nebraska.

I am announcing tonight that I am naming Veta Jeffery as the Chief Strategist who will be working with me on these three efforts.

This campaign has brought together a diverse group of people from all across our state. Regardless of voting history and party affiliation, we agree on key principles. We need to protect reproductive rights. We must make sure our public dollars support our public schools. We deserve sensible gun policies that keep us safe at school, church, and in our daily lives. We must stand up for our working families and ensure safe workplaces with livable wages. And, most of all, we deserve a government that protects equal rights for all, no matter your background or economic status.

I sincerely thank everyone who joined me during this historic journey. This campaign has not been easy, and we have faced many challenges. Even though it was hard work, it was worth it. We have brought people together, laid a foundation for like-minded candidates to build upon, and we have made history along the way. We won’t stop challenging our local, state and national elected officials to put people over politics and to work to serve all Nebraskans, not just those who agree with them. My ask of you tonight is will you join us in getting this done."

Preston Love challenged Senator Pete Ricketts for the U.S. Senate in November 2024. Love is a community advocate, adjunct professor teaching political science at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and a five-time published author who has worked in communities across Nebraska. You can learn more about the Preston Love for Senate campaign at www.Love4Senate.com.