OMAHA — Nebraska’s GOP primary voters handed former President Donald Trump his first loss of 2022 when they chose Jim Pillen over Trump’s pick for governor, Charles Herbster.

"58-1. Charles W. Herbster came VERY close despite tremendous headwinds!" said the former President on his new social media app, Truth Social.

Understanding why Herbster lost to Pillen is more complex than the assertion that Trump's hold on Republican politics is waning. Interviews with political scientists and reporting from the campaign trail have contributed to the following observations and analysis.

First, Herbster spent less time on the campaign trail than his Republican competitors. He was, however, the first candidate to run TV ads.

Only a handful of days were spent campaigning in person until March for the Herbster campaign. In fact, at least a third of Nebraska's counties show no record of Herbster attending a campaign event during this cycle. This was critically important in the 3rd Congressional District, 47% of the GOP's vote, where voters prefer meeting candidates face to face.

Second, Herbster's attempts to focus his campaign on Trump's endorsement and national issues contributed to views that he did not have a clear plan for Nebraska.

Third, too much time was spent criticizing Pillen, his top opponent, and not enough defining himself in a positive light. Nebraskans reportedly recoil from negative ads, said Paul Landow, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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