Vance announces investment in domestic fertilizer manufacturing in Nebraska

NORTH PLATTE —  JD Vance became the first vice president to visit North Platte on Thursday, campaigning for Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen as they face challenging reelection bids. 

Ricketts and Pillen hit similar notes in their speeches before Vance arrived, attacking their top opponents, registered nonpartisan Dan Osborn and Democratic challenger Lynne Walz. Third Congressional District Rep. Adrian Smith told the crowd in his home district that Nebraska’s federal delegation is fighting for Nebraskans every day. 

Vance emphasized the importance of reelecting Ricketts, Pillen and Smith because they are fighting to preserve the “American Dream for the next generation.” 

“I think it is important as we continue to work hard to rebuild that American Dream to take stock of where we were just two years ago,” Vance said during his pitch to Nebraska voters at the D&N Event Center. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris spent four years making life harder for people in Nebraska who actually make this country work.” 

During his roughly one-hour speech, Vance highlighted President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending law tax-cut provisions, ending the “Green New Scam” and rebuilding America’s energy economy. 

The vice president also announced Nebraska as one of the states selected for the Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply Program, which U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced earlier this year. Nebraska is one of seven states that will receive $99.8 million in proposed United States Department of Agriculture funding toward a $270.2 million project to deploy 20 modular ammonia manufacturing units. That project is part of a larger $1.3 billion investment nationwide.

As expected, the crowd was very friendly toward Vance and the other Republican elected officials. Vance and Ricketts got loud cheers when they attacked Osborn and Democrats. Audience members were wearing green and red “Make America Great Again” hats, and some held “Defend our future” and “Restoring Common Sense” signs. Two tractors were also near the stage. 

The Nebraska Republican Party chair, Mary Jane Truemper, said Republicans are “in a war … for the soul of this state and the country.” Truemper urged people to get out and vote as “bad things happen” when Republicans don’t vote. 

Nebraska has seen more national attention than usual this midterm cycle as the political environment has worsened for Republicans. The 2nd Congressional District race often draws national attention as a swing district, but the Senate race has been competitive since the start of the cycle, and election analysts have highlighted the races for governor and the 1st Congressional District in recent weeks. 

Trump visited Grand Island earlier this month on a tour to shore up red states and increase GOP turnout. Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune went to Fremont this week to campaign with Ricketts. 

Like other notable Republicans who have visited Nebraska, Vance tried to paint Osborn as a Democrat. 

Vance hit the same points the Ricketts campaign has hammered at Osborn for the past year and a half — pointing to audio leaks, campaign fundraising and payments to him and his family for campaign work. Vance added that the former labor union leader is a “far-left partisan Democrat.” 

“Dan is smart enough to run away from the Democrat label even though that’s exactly what he is,”  Vance told the crowd. “I happen to think that you’re hell of a lot smarter than Dan Osborn thinks you are, which is why you’re never going to send him to the United States Senate.” 

The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting has already started.