Who is the Real Jim Pillen?
Nebraskans deserve a governor who is honest with us. But Jim Pillen is hiding what he’s doing and who he’s really serving.
Jim Pillen’s Greatest Hits
Jim Pillen ran for governor on one promise above all others: he would bring down the property taxes that have squeezed Nebraska homeowners, farmers, and small businesses for years.
Look at your last property tax valuation — have your taxes actually gone down?
Jim Pillen’s record is not the one he’s been selling. Here's the REAL Jim Pillen:
1. Pillen gave a $2.5 million no-bid state contract to his female friend and travel companion — a political insider.
Pillen hand-picked Julie Bushell’s consulting firm, Global Sustainability Developers, to get a $2.5 million no-bid contract.¹
After being exposed by State Auditor Mike Foley, that contract is now under investigation by local police.² Nebraskans deserve a Governor who looks out for taxpayers, not one who hands millions of our taxpayer dollars to his friends and political insiders.
2. Pillen promised to cut property taxes; instead, Nebraska property taxes went up $565 million.
Pillen made cutting property taxes his signature promise, but statewide levies climbed from about $5.02 billion in 2022 to about $5.59 billion in 2025, even as the state spent more on relief.³⁴
Nebraska now has the 3rd highest tax burden in the country.
Instead, he proposed a 36% sales tax hike, which would have made Nebraska’s sales tax the highest in the country. Lawmakers rejected it.
A Lincoln Journal Star analysis estimated that Pillen’s tax shift onto working Nebraskans would have saved him and his businesses nearly $1 million a year.⁵
3. Pillen blew a $1.9 billion budget surplus, leaving Nebraska with a nearly $1 billion deficit in less than two years.
Pillen inherited a $1.9 billion budget surplus.⁶ Now, Nebraska is facing an $840 million budget deficit.⁷
In just a few years, Pillen’s financial recklessness has blown through Nebraska’s surplus and left taxpayers facing a massive budget hole that will have to be filled with higher taxes, deeper cuts, or both.
4. Under Pillen, Nebraska’s economy has flatlined.
Nebraska's economy grew slower than any other state's, ranking dead last in GDP growth. Nebraska’s economy shrank more than 6% in the first quarter of 2025, led by agriculture.⁸
Slow growth means fewer new businesses, less money for hardworking Nebraskans, and fewer reasons for young Nebraskans to build their careers here instead of in Denver or Kansas City.
Nebraska lost more jobs than any other state in the country. For families who depend on a steady paycheck, no number in Pillen's record matters more.
5. Under Pillen, Nebraska families pay the highest insurance rates in America.
It’s true, Nebraska families pay the highest insurance rates in the country.⁹ Those premiums come out of the same household budgets already squeezed by rising property taxes, leaving working families with less at the end of every month.
6. Pillen is giving huge tax cuts to the wealthiest Nebraskans.
Paid for by Pillen’s other cuts, like cutting support for Nebraska veterans and cuts to healthcare for kids, seniors, and Nebraskans with disabilities.¹⁰¹¹
Pillen cares more about helping the rich get richer than supporting everyday Nebraskans.
7. The cost of Governor Jim Pillen’s secrecy and corruption is a burden Nebraskans can no longer afford.
Nebraskans are left paying sky-high property taxes, while Pillen took a $25 million taxpayer-funded federal grant for a pork processing company he owns.¹² The wealthiest, including Pillen himself, are getting tax breaks while his government cuts funding for veterans, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities.
He's the only Governor in decades who keeps his schedule hidden and refuses to use a state-issued phone.¹³
His family even denied the Occupational Safety and Health Administration entry when they were investigating the death of a 17-year-old at one of Pillen's facilities.¹⁴
Pillen should come clean about what he’s doing and who he’s really serving.
Nebraska can't afford four more years of Jim Pillen.
¹ “Auditor Flags Possible Pillen Favoritism in $2.5M No-Bid Bioeconomy Contract With Lobbyist,” Nebraska Examiner, Jan. 15, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/15/auditor-flags-possible-pillen-favoritism-in-2-5m-no-bid-bioeconomy-contract-with-lobbyist/
² “Investigation of $2.5M No-Bid Contract Moves to Lancaster County Attorney,” Nebraska Examiner, Aug. 10, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/08/10/investigation-of-2-5m-no-bid-contract-moves-to-lancaster-county-attorney/
³ Nebraska Department of Revenue, 2025 Annual Report, Table 1, https://revenue.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/pad/research/annual-reports/2025/annrpt2025%20table%201.pdf
⁴ Nebraska Department of Administrative Services, “Governor’s Budget Recommendations, 2023-2025 Mid-Biennium Adjustments,” https://das.nebraska.gov/budget/publications/docs/2023-2025/2024/Governor%27s%20Budget%20Recommendations%2C%202023-2025%20Mid-Biennium%20Adjustments.pdf; “Pillen Eyes More State Budget Cuts to Help Offset Local Property Taxes,” Nebraska Examiner, April 20, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/20/pillen-eyes-more-state-budget-cuts-to-help-offset-local-property-taxes/
⁵ Lincoln Journal Star, “Nebraska Gov. Pillen would reduce own property tax bill nearly $1M if cuts pass,”, July 24, 2024, https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/article_7031aca2-4858-11ef-8597-9383f6918e29.html
⁶ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Tracking the Fallout From State Tax Cuts,” https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/tracking-the-fallout-from-state-tax-cuts-0?item=30606
⁷ “Nebraska’s Falling Tax Revenue Part of National Trend, but Worse,” Nebraska Public Media, October 12, 2026, https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraskas-falling-tax-revenue-part-of-national-trend-but-worse/
⁸ “Feds Say Nebraska GDP Shrunk More Than 6% in First Quarter of 2025, Led by Agriculture,” Nebraska Examiner, July 30, 2025, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/30/feds-say-nebraska-gdp-shrunk-more-than-6-in-first-quarter-of-2025-led-by-agriculture/; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 1st Quarter 2025,” https://www.bea.gov/news/2025/gross-domestic-product-state-and-personal-income-state-1st-quarter-2025
⁹ “Nebraska’s Homeowners Insurance Ranks Amongst Highest in the Country,” University of Nebraska Omaha, September 2026, https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2026/09/live-insurance-news-nebraskas-homeowners-insurance-ranks-amongst-highest-in-the-country.php
¹⁰ “Gov. Jim Pillen Proposes DHHS Cuts of Over $152 Million to Balance Budget,” Nebraska Examiner, Jan. 15, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/15/gov-jim-pillen-proposes-dhhs-cuts-of-over-152-million-to-balance-budget/
¹¹ “Pillen Eyes More State Budget Cuts to Help Offset Local Property Taxes,” Nebraska Examiner, April 20, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/20/pillen-eyes-more-state-budget-cuts-to-help-offset-local-property-taxes/
¹² “Pork Processor Partially Owned by Pillen Gets $25 Million Federal Grant,” Nebraska Examiner, April 29, 2023, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/29/pork-processor-partially-owned-by-pillen-gets-25-million-federal-grant/
¹³ “Gov. Pillen Doesn’t Carry a State-Issued Phone; Critics Call It an Abuse of State Disclosure Laws,” Nebraska Examiner, June 24, 2026, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/24/gov-pillen-doesnt-carry-a-state-issued-phone-critics-call-it-an-abuse-of-state-disclosure-laws/
¹⁴ “The Mysterious Death of a Teen at Pillen Family Farms,” Nebraska Examiner, Dec. 19, 2025, https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/19/the-mysterious-death-of-a-teen-at-pillen-family-farms/