Pete Ricketts’ annual Nebraska Steak Fry is a popular Republican event in Nebraska, drawing hundreds of guests for a steak dinner and the chance to meet and greet high-profile figures like Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, and Ron DeSantis—often at the same event. With a cost of $35 for a family, it’s less a fundraiser and more an opportunity to showcase prominent speakers to local Republicans and provide a chance to rub elbows with elected officials from across the state.
The event was held every autumn from 2017 to 2022, even during COVID, but went on hiatus after Ricketts left the governor’s office and was appointed U.S. Senator shortly after his term ended. On Sunday, he revived the event at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Arlington, with keynote speaker Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.
In addition to the steak dinner and speeches, the Steak Fry has traditionally offered Republicans an hour before the program to chat personally with elected officials. Among the crowd were several state senators, all three Nebraska congressmen (Mike Flood, Don Bacon, and Adrian Smith), Governor Jim Pillen, and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who served as MC.
Ricketts vs. Osborn
As an official event for Ricketts’ 2026 Senate campaign, all three Nebraska congressmen praised Ricketts’ record as both governor and U.S. Senator. Mike Flood, in particular, credited Ricketts for keeping Nebraska open during the COVID-19 pandemic and managing crises like the Missouri River flooding of 2019.
“The flooding in 2019 was a 500-year disaster that could have set Nebraska back a generation, and he got something like 55 bridges rebuilt in just 18 months,” Flood said.
When Pete Ricketts spoke, he highlighted his opponent Dan Osborn’s reliance on out-of-state funding, noting that 95% of Osborn’s campaign funds in the last election came from outside Nebraska, including from Chuck Schumer.
“I don’t think we want New Yorkers and Californians telling us who we should elect to the U.S. Senate,” Ricketts said. “You’ve heard the phrase, ‘follow the money.’ Well, his money’s coming from out there. Now, what do we have? We’ve got you—Nebraskans.”
All three congressmen also criticized Ricketts’ Senate challenger for obfuscating his political alignment by running as an independent.
“You know who else calls himself an independent? Bernie Sanders—a Democratic Socialist,” Bacon said. “What independent wants to pack the Supreme Court? What independent believes in zero restrictions on abortion? No independent does.”
Unity and Work from the Ground Up
A recurring theme of the event was party unity, a challenge for Nebraska Republicans, especially since the grassroots takeover of state and county parties a few years ago.
“Sen. Ricketts taught me iron sharpens iron, right?” said Lancaster County GOP chair Jack Riggins. “We can get kind of nasty in our party, but one thing we have to do is come together to beat Democrats.”
Party unity was a key focus of Mullin’s keynote address, which emphasized returning to foundational platform issues rather than engaging in a “purity test” among party members.
“The most popular individuals in the Democratic Party for president are AOC and Bernie Sanders,” Mullin said. “They want to change the very foundation of our country. If you change the foundation of a building, everything built on top of it crumbles. We can’t allow that to happen. We have to understand what our fight is about. And sometimes, inside the Republican Party, we fight among ourselves.”
Mullin urged Republicans to reach out to Democrats who feel politically homeless in a party moving sharply left, citing his experience running in a district that shifted from 60% Democrat to an R+27 district.
“Look at the Democratic Party right now. The Democratic Party has the worst rating they’ve had in their entire history. People are looking for a way out,” Mullin said. “If they want to tear the foundation out, they’re not part of our party. But if they believe in America, that our flag is the most beautiful in the world, and they’re willing to die for it, they’re part of our party.”
Mullin also stressed the need for Republicans to build a bench from the ground up, winning county and school board elections to prepare candidates for higher office in the future.
As the midterms approach, Republicans may be uniting in the most Nebraskan way possible—over a steak dinner. “When I think about the battles ahead, and they’re existential, we don’t have time to fight amongst ourselves,” Hilgers said. “We have to fight for this country, and that means we need to be unified.”
