LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has hired a new campaign team — one with deep ties to President Donald Trump.

Republican campaign consultant Ryan Smith will serve as the campaign’s general or top consultant, replacing Axiom Strategy’s Jessica Flanagain, whom many know for her work with U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts. 

Florida-based Smith has been involved with Republican campaigns and causes across the country for 20 years, the Florida Politics noted. Smith also served as an advisor to MAGA Inc, a super PAC that functions as Trump’s primary outside political operation. 

Alex Meyer, who currently serves in the Executive Office of the President as Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, is leaving to “join the President’s external political operation for midterm elections,” will partner with Smith in supporting Pillen’s campaign. 

Veteran Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio will be the campaign’s pollster. Fabrizio was the pollster for Trump’s bids in 2016 and 2024. 

“I love building winning teams, and we have done just that,” Pillen said in a written statement. “These are some of the most talented and dedicated conservative political professionals in America, and I am proud to have them at my side as we build momentum toward November.”

Pillen, a former University of Nebraska regent and former Husker football defensive back, has focused much of his first term on property tax relief. The Legislature has also worked to lower income taxes. The state has dealt with a budget shortfall in his third and fourth years.

Some view Pillen’s second term as inevitable, pointing to a 2-to-1 registration advantage for Republicans over Democrats in Nebraska. However, Pillen has faced numerous controversies.

Polling on gubernatorial popularity has found him among the least popular incumbent governors nationally, which sparked a lot of interest in potentially serious Republican primary challengers who did not materialize. One reason: Pillen had raised about $10 million and freely wields the power of incumbency.

He faces Democrat Lynne Walz in the fall and perhaps a nonpartisan challenger who had considered running as a Republican before re-registering shortly before the primary election to nonpartisan, former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha. 

Pillen’s revamped campaign staff comes after Flanagain, Nebraska’s most influential political consultant, stepped away from the Pillen team in March.

On the local side, Pillen’s campaign named former Ben Sasse staffer Taylor Sliva as campaign manager. Sliva, who managed Sasse’s 2020 campaign, currently serves as Pillen’s deputy chief of staff and will take a leave of absence from the Governor’s Office, according to the press release. 

Daniel Huey will continue to serve as the Pillen campaign’s media consultant and strategist. Andie Gage still serves as the campaign’s finance director.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-unveils-reworked-campaign-team/