Pete Ricketts is an Ameritrade executive, currently holding the position of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Ameritrade Holding Corporation; before August 2005, he was Ameritrade's Chief Operating Officer. He is currently running for a U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska.

Ricketts was born in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and now lives in Omaha. He attended the University of Chicago for both his bachelor and graduate studies, and received an MBA in marketing and finance from the University's Graduate School of Business.

Ricketts is married to Susanne, and they have three children: Margot, Roscoe, and Eleanor.

2006 campaign for the U.S. Senate

Ricketts is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Ben Nelson. His opponents in the primary were former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and former state Republican chairman David Kramer. Ricketts spent nearly $5 million of his own money, outspending his opponents 10-1 to win the nomination.

Ricketts is running on a wide-ranging conservative platform, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, immigration reform, and agriculture, as well as championing a socially conservative platform opposing gay marriage and abortion. In voter polling, he has been behind incumbent Nelson by about 20 percentage points.

External link

• Official campaign website

People from Nebraska | University of Chicago alumni | 2006 United States Senate candidates | Pro-life politicians | Living people