Krist Announces New Political Party

NORFOLK — An independent candidate for governor is putting his plan to get on the general election ballot in motion. Dan Parsons, a consultant for State Senator Bob Krist, told News Channel Nebraska today that Krist has reserved the name “United Nebraska” and will run under that party name for governor. Krist will form a LLC and seek the 5,000 signatures necessary to be on the general election ballot. Krist visited Norfolk in November and hosted a town hall meeting at North Star Services. He said he was running for governor as a centrist. “We’re looking at it from a political party, political leadership perspective,” Krist said. “We need to look at it from a centrist view and say, ‘what’s good for 1.9 million people across the state?’” Krist is a former Republican who has spent nine years in the Unicameral. He hasn’t been afraid to criticize Governor Pete Ricketts. “(Improper budget cuts) can only happen with someone who has never had to budget and go forward,” Krist said. “This current governor has led us down a track now to defunding some of these programs and it doesn’t have to happen.” The former Air Force lieutenant colonel said at the town hall that he did not approve of the governor’s practice of donating money to senate candidates. “He’s bought the best legislature he can,” Krist said. “So those people would stick along those lines of the line-item vetoes and that’s the day I talked about, the darkest day. You couldn’t talk about the budget process.” By forming a third-party, Krist cuts down on the number of signatures required to make the ballot from 120,000 as an independent, to just 5,000. Parsons said there is no timeline for the formation of the party LLC or for his signature drive.