The multimillionaire governor of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, has poured more than $66,000 into his own re-election war chest, and political forecasters have declared the Republican “heavily favored” to win his red-state seat.

Even so, major corporations such as Union Pacific Railroad, beermaker Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA, Kiewit Infrastructure Co. and other groups have put at least $1.6 million combined into Ricketts’ campaign, according to data from the National Institute on Money in Politics.

Ricketts is one of eight governors whom experts consider likely to win re-election by comfortable margins, out of the 19 incumbents running. But though these safe governors — in Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Vermont — may cruise easily to victory, together they have already amassed at least $135 million in donations, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis. Close to a third of it has come from groups such as trade associations, lobbying firms or corporations.

Credit by - The Center for Public Integrity

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