Nebraska
Nebraska GOP pushes unity after primary fight with incumbents; delegates disagree • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Days after losing the three highest-profile races it endorsed in this spring, leaders of the new Nebraska Republican Party encouraged unity this weekend but faced pushback from their own delegates.
State GOP Chairman Eric Underwood said he would keep working to bring Republicans together after the primary, but he said he might need reciprocity from the elected officials angered by the party.
Fences need mending after the GOP didn’t endorse any of the state’s five-member, all-GOP congressional delegation for the primary. None in the state’s delegation sought the party’s endorsement, either.
All five — Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and Reps. Adrian Smith, Mike Flood and Don Bacon — easily won their primaries even though three of them — Ricketts, Smith and Bacon — were challenged by populist GOP candidates the state party endorsed.
Then the party’s delegates balked at a resolution Saturday to endorse the incumbents in November, delaying a decision until the next state central committee meeting.
Former U.S. Rep. Hal Daub led the floor resolution to endorse former President Donald Trump and all five members of the delegation. The step is usually a formality. Daub said his intention was “to have unity projected to the public.”
“Since our delegation won their primaries pretty substantially, we should let the public know that we appreciate the process and support the people,” he said.
The resolution faced immediate pushback from the majority of delegates, led in part by Bacon’s primary opponent, Dan Frei. Frei said he adamantly opposed endorsing members of the delegation because they hadn’t come to the meeting to ask for the endorsements.
Instead, delegates passed the endorsement of Trump and punted the delegation decision to a later date after it became clear the measure lacked enough votes. That step was proposed by a state party official.
“Endorsements are earned, not given,” said Frei. He conceded the race Friday but has yet to endorse Bacon, who won by 24 percentage points.
It remains unclear what kind of unity either side in the intra-GOP fight would accept.
“You have to ask where the trust has been lost,” Underwood said. “You have to look at the 2022 primary. We’re nowhere near that loss of trust, because the party wasn’t weaponized.”
Power of party endorsements
Critics of the party’s approach said that its endorsements were ineffective without financial assistance behind them — and that they held little sway with the wider electorate.
Bacon said after the primary that it was time for some “soul searching” by state and county GOP leaders who had “weakened the party and weakened the conservative movement in Nebraska.”
“He lied about four of my votes,” Bacon said of Underwood. “When a chairman lies about an incumbent in the federal delegation there is a problem.”
Underwood acknowledged that the party sent a mailer for 2nd District GOP candidate Dan Frei in his run against Bacon, but he said it’s different from how the party previously put its thumb on the scale.
He pointed to GOP criticism of the former state party leadership for aggressively taking sides in a legislative race between State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar and former state GOP volunteer Janet Palmtag.
Underwood said he would keep reaching out as he has to the delegation and to Gov. Jim Pillen. Elected leaders often help state parties in Nebraska and elsewhere raise funds for political activity.
Fundraising challenges
The Nebraska GOP, like many state parties taken over in recent years by populists, has had a hard time reconciling populist fervor and energy from the party’s base with its traditional leaders.
Fundraising has lagged, though Underwood said he expected to show a significant infusion of funds in the party’s pending May report to the Federal Election Commission.
One area the new GOP excels at is partisan energy. On Saturday, 360 delegates and more than 500 Republicans turned out for the state party’s annual convention at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln.
Many of them came to hear retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, national security adviser under Trump, tell them they are ‘in the fight for our lives” this November in the presidential election.
Most came to update party rules, select delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and gather with other conservatives from around the state.
Congressional district caucuses discussed moving Nebraska to winner-take-all for presidential elections. They also discussed ballot security and border security.
The party also voted on other resolutions, including a 157-139 vote on one that was postponed at a previous meeting, to censure State Sen. Merv Riepe for opposing a proposed abortion ban after an ultrasound can detect a fetal cardiac activity, at about six weeks.
Flynn speaks to Nebraska GOP
Flynn, who twice admitted to lying to federal agents during the FBI investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, then later recanted and was pardoned by Trump, said voters need to engage.
He reiterated his support for former Trump, who fired him 24 days into his term, at the height of public interest in the Russia investigation.
Flynn, Underwood and State Board of Education President Elizabeth Tegtmeier all urged those attending to pay attention to education races farther down the ballot.
Flynn told them to seek incremental victories and to focus on stopping the push to change American culture by reaffirming Christian beliefs and culture.
GOP focuses on education races
Tegtmeier said she and other conservatives on the State Board need voters’ help to remove books they consider inappropriate from school libraries.
People who object to removing books say such efforts often discriminate against books written by nonwhite or LGBTQ authors or about race, sex or gender.
She pointed to efforts by grassroots conservatives to oppose proposed health standards that included sex education in 2021 as a model for what they can accomplish together. She argued kids were learning too much too young.
Tegtmeier called on more investment in state and local education races, saying “the Democrats and the teachers union will not let go of the stronghold they have on the board without a fight.” She said that would take money.
She said she would like to see more emphasis placed on training young people for skilled trades.
“People are starting to realize that the state board races are just as crucial and important as our state legislative races,” she said, speaking in her personal capacity.
Flynn said getting involved at the local level is one of the best ways to push back against political opponents.
“I’ve seen the absolute worst of humanity,” he said. “In the long arc of history, good always prevails over evil. But there are times that it takes longer than you expect it to take.”
Flynn movie talk
About 700 people paid $35-plus for a Friday night screening of Flynn’s image-rehab documentary, “Flynn: Deliver the Truth Whatever the Cost.”
Flynn contended in the film that prosecutors coerced him into lying to FBI agents about his talks with the Russian ambassador in the run-up to Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
He said they did so by using his fear of them prosecuting his son, who was his business partner in a consulting firm.
Authorities have said Flynn illegally discussed sanctions with a foreign government before he was a formal representative of the United States. Flynn has said he made no direct pledge involving sanctions.
He tried withdrawing his guilty plea, saying he was misled by his lawyers. At one point, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against Flynn, but the judge disagreed with Attorney General Bill Barr and the case moved forward.
Fanchon Blythe, Nebraska’s national GOP committeewoman, asked Flynn to call former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., saying he was similarly prosecuted.
Flynn said he was unfamiliar with the case. Fortenberry was convicted of lying to FBI agents about his knowledge of foreign funds illegally raised for his 2016 House campaign. Federal law prohibits raising foreign funds in congressional races.
A federal appeals court overturned his conviction because he was prosecuted in California, where the fundraiser was held, and not where Fortenberry allegedly lied. He was recently charged again, this time in Washington, D.C.
Kleeb criticized GOP, Flynn
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb criticized the state GOP for bringing Flynn to the state, saying it was evidence of a lost party.
“Given all the massive divides in their party where over 35% of the base votes for (U.S.) Rep. (Don) Bacon’s opponent one would think they would focus on building bridges,” she said. “It seems the only bridge the Republicans want to build is one to (Vladimir) Putin.”
In mentioning Bacon, she was stumping for state Democrats’ best opportunity to win a congressional race this year. Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha is challenging Bacon for the second time, after losing to Bacon in 2022 by about three percentage points.
Flynn told those attending he would be watching to see how many of them care enough to vote this fall. He chided them for a low turnout in the Nebraska primary, where 28% of registered voters turned in ballots.
“We have to get together, we have to unify and we have to figure out how to get past all the petty arguments and move forward as one nation,” Flynn said.
National committeeman will change
Also on Saturday, Blythe was re-elected national GOP committeewoman. She has been among the state party’s most aggressive organizers of county party takeovers. She has been criticized for defending people arrested after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
State GOP committeeman JL Spray, one of the last links to the former state GOP leadership team from 2022, will be replaced by William Feely of Aurora. Spray will still represent the party at the 2024 national convention. Feely will take over after that.
As we watch Indiana football destroy whatever is in its path, several Nebraska-related questions.
* Are there lessons Nebraska can learn from Indiana?
* Where does Nebraska stand in this rapidly changing, new-world Big Ten?
Indiana’s football program continues to be one of the great comeback stories in Big Ten history. That’s in football and probably in any sport.
Where did Indiana come from? In two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers are 26-2, a remarkable .929 winning percentage. Plus a Big Ten championship.
And one game away from a national championship.
Trying to learn from the Hoosiers
Nebraska and many other college teams should study Indiana’s program in great detail. Teams undoubtedly probe the Hoosiers, watch their tapes, try to glean whatever they can from IU’s amazing success.
When you watch the Hoosiers, they look like a championship team. Their body language exudes confidence, fueled by their accomplishments. In the Hoosiers’ 56-22 CFP semifinal win over Oregon, they looked faster, stronger, more intense.
Indiana was helped by Oregon’s early turnovers but the Hoosiers’ lines looked dominant. Indiana’s defense took apart Oregon, sacking Dante Moore three times and putting relentless pressure on him. It was almost unfair how the normally potent Ducks offense could do so little against the Hoosiers.
Once, that sounded like Ohio State, which might be trying to figure out Indiana this offseason, too.
Let’s face it: Until Cignetti arrived at Indiana, he largely was unknown. He was a career assistant coach until landing head-coaching jobs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011-16), Elon (2017-18) and James Madison (2019-23).
He had two outstanding seasons as a head coach at James Madison, going 19-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. There was little indication he would jump into the Big Ten and turn into Knute Rockne.
What in the name of Bobby Knight is going on?
What’s next for Huskers?
If there were a sure-fire formula for Indiana’s level of success, everyone would try it. How to start for the Huskers? Recruiting, transfer-portal prosperity and luck, and the most important factors, both lines and the uncertain quarterback position.
Nebraska allowed 33 sacks this season and with Dylan Raiola at quarterback for eight-plus games, his lack of mobility was glaring. Sacks are drive-killers.
Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza was sacked 21 times this season but generally, it was a case of him trying to extend plays, not sitting in the pocket holding the ball too long, which was a valid criticism of Raiola.
Nebraska must improve against the rush — emphasize “must”. The Huskers allowed an average of 175.4 yards per game on the ground, 98th in the nation. What in the name of Tom Osborne was going on?
Teams gashed the Huskers on the ground and while Nebraska’s pass defense finished third in the nation at 154.1 yards per game, the run defense at times was brutal.
Another Nebraska problem, and a major one at that: Its red-zone defense ranked next to last in the nation. Opponents has 38 red-zone trips and scored on 37 of them. Incredible, if not impossible. The breakdown: 24 opponent rushing touchdowns, six passing touchdowns and seven field goals.
Look at 2025. Nebraska’s portal players made important contributions but they weren’t season-changing. The Huskers needed players who could influence a game’s outcome, or grab a game by the throat and win it.
Quarterback is an area of great uncertainty for Nebraska. Is TJ Lateef the answer? Someone from the transfer portal?
Look at Indiana. When the Hoosiers brought in Mendoza, who knew he would win the Heisman? He came from the University of California, where he had two nice seasons but gave no indication he would turn into the sport’s best player.
Mendoza stepped in and the Hoosiers followed, knowing what they had in their new quarterback and what it could mean.
Big Ten bullies and where Huskers fit in
The last two national champions are from the Big Ten — Michigan, Ohio State. Indiana is warming up in the bullpen, a win over Miami away from the title.
Skip past Indiana for a second and you have Ohio State — the biggest of the Big Ten bullies. Yet, the Buckeyes haven’t won the Big Ten championship since 2020. Ohio State hasn’t had a losing season since 2011. The Buckeyes’ record since 2011: 165-21 with national titles in 2014 and 2024.
Eight Big Ten teams won at least nine games in 2025. A ninth team, Minnesota, won eight games. Minnesota, which beat up Nebraska in Minneapolis and dropped the Huskers to 5-2, maybe changed the trajectory of Nebraska’s season.
Nebraska (7-6 for the second consecutive season) is one of three B1G teams that won seven games. That’s 11 other Big Ten teams on the same level or having better a better record than the Huskers. And that doesn’t include two four-win teams — Wisconsin and Michigan State — with a history of success. The Badgers and Spartans won’t be dormant for long.
Ohio State and Indiana are the monsters of the midway. Big Ten teams have to deal with these two teams, and Oregon, if they ever hope to rise to the top of the conference. Michigan, Penn State and USC probably will be better next season — they aren’t going away.
That leaves Nebraska slugging it out with Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington for a place at the Big Ten big-boy table. And there’s an enormous step up to the elite teams.
Yep, the Big Ten has changed, as has college football itself.
Rhule’s changes
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule did what coaches of underachieving teams normally do — he made significant changes to his coaching staff. He fired offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and replaced him with Geep Wade from Georgia Tech.
He hired a new defensive coordinator. San Diego State’s Rob Aurich replaced John Butler, who was fired. Butler arrived in Lincoln with a ton of NFL experience. Either Butler’s message didn’t get through, or he didn’t have the talent to play his system at this level.
Nebraska also hired Roy Manning to work with the edge rushers. Got to go get the other guys’ quarterbacks.
The lines, more than anything else, are the quickest road to success —some think the only road to success — whether it’s the Big Ten or high school ball. When teams lose the line battles, they usually can kiss the game goodbye. Having a quality quarterback is a given for success but without a strong offensive line, a quarterback is limited.
Savvy football people and fans know this. Glamour positions and skill-position players get the attention. Think about this a second: Nebraska had one of the best running backs in the nation in Emmett Johnson, who gained 1,451 yards on the ground. That total was fourth in the nation and Johnson didn’t play in the bowl game.
And still, the Huskers didn’t dominate many Big Ten defenses. Nebraska was 4-5 in the conference and didn’t beat a Big Ten team with a regular-season winning record — Michigan State (4-8), Maryland (4-8), Northwestern (6-6) and UCLA (3-9).
Nebraska’s final three games looked like a program either in decline, or simply outmanned on the field and on the sideline. Penn State scored 37 points, Iowa scored 40 points, and Utah scored 44 points. In those three games, Nebraska was outscored, 121-48.
These were hugely important games for Nebraska. Going against reeling Penn State looked like an opportunity. Nebraska was long overdue for some payback against rival Iowa. You always want to win a bowl game, and the Las Vegas Bowl offered Nebraska a chance for an improved record over 2024, and the opportunity for a less stressful offseason and a jump start for 2026.
In his postgame news conference after losing to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, Rhule looked ahead, as he should. He talked about the coaching changes. He sounded upbeat about the portal. He talked about all of the young guys who played against Utah. To his credit, he didn’t make excuses.
All in all, Rhule talked with some level of optimism about 2026. Did he have any other choice?
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It was a very exciting and high-scoring Saturday in Big Ten basketball. Michigan’s flaws finally caught up to the Wolverines. Their loss to Wisconsin became a source of hope for everyone else in the Big Ten. Nebraska keeps rolling, and the Huskers now look like the top team in the conference, with star Lamar Wilkerson going off in yet another game.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Saturday night in Big Ten basketball:
No. 10 Nebraska 83-77 vs Indiana
Jamarques Lawrence and Lamar Wilkerson battled in a shootout as both players had career nights. Indiana has been hot this season, almost as hot as Nebraska. Ultimately, the Cornhuskers proved to be battle-tested once more, and Lawrence led the Cornhuskers to overcome a 16-point deficit to secure a big victory. The Cornhuskers continue to be one of the best stories in college basketball, as their win streak moves to 5 in a row in the Big Ten. They are 16-0 overall.
Wisconsin 91-88 vs No. 2 Michigan
Down goes Goliath. Just like I said in one of the last Big Ten reports, no game is a layup. Michigan almost lost its last game to Penn State. Every team the Wolverines face will give them their best, and all they have to do is upset them. The Badgers did exactly that. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell both had 20-point showings and looked like stars. The Badgers entered the second half down 14 points, and just like last game for the Wolverines, another lead was lost. Michigan missed 8 of their last 9 shots, to end the game, which was one of the biggest reasons for the loss of the lead. The Wolverines were not on their game, and for the first time this season, and it cost them big time.
No. 5 Purdue 93-85 vs Penn State
Braden Smith puts together a complete game, flashing his scoring ability and his elite decision-making. The Boilermakers took care of business and handled Penn State exactly like Michigan should have. Penn State’s hot three-point shooting start kept them in this game, but it was the Boilermakers’ insane crowd, insane defense, and stars stepping up that propelled them to an 8-point win.
UCLA 67-55 vs Maryland
Another day, another game where the Terps get outmatched. The Bruins were coming off two losses heading into this game, and they got the exact bounce-back game they needed. While the Bruins were amazing defensively, the Terps still dominated the glass. That makes for trouble for the Bruins against the competent Big Ten teams. Had the Terps been able to buy a bucket, they fairly well could have stolen this game. Instead, the Terps move to 0-5 in the Big Ten. The Terps can’t catch a break early in this season, while the Bruins get the exact break they needed to move forward.
Overview
Michigan does not learn from its last game, and they suffer their first loss of the season. The Badgers get a huge scoring outburst from their two guards, as another guard, Braden Smith, is dominant in an impressive win by Purdue over Penn State. As the Big Ten is continuing to ramp up the dominant newcomer, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are now the leader of the sole undefeated team in the conference.
What’s next
Illinois and Iowa highlight the day with a big-time matchup to start the Sunday slate. Big implications in this game, and whoever wins can really consider themselves a legitimate Big Ten contender. Northwestern and Rutgers will match up after that one, and both teams could desperately use a win to get back on track and build some type of momentum. The final game will be Ohio State and Washington squaring off. The Buckeyes will look to build some consistency before their matchup against Michigan. Bruce Thornton getting hot again would definitely help with that.
New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.
Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.
Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.
God is so good! After a great conversation with coach @GeepWade I am blessed to receive my 6th D1 offer from Nebraska! @HuskerFootball @AGBluejayFball pic.twitter.com/h3ciXeG727
— Barrett Kitrell (@BarrettK54) January 10, 2026
Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.
In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.
Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.
Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.
The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.
Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.
Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.
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