Republican · Nebraska governor · 2026
Jim Pillen
Pillen started raising pigs with his father on the family farm, became a veterinarian and eventually built a large pork production business.
Biography
Jim Pillen was a Nebraska defensive back before he was a veterinarian or governor, recovering Billy Sims’ late fumble in the Cornhuskers’ 1978 win over Oklahoma.1 He also earned academic All America honors that season.1 He and his wife, Suzanne, have four children and a growing family of grandchildren.2
Raised on a Platte County farm, Pillen worked with his father, Dale, raising pigs before earning an animal science degree at Nebraska and a veterinary degree at Kansas State.2 He returned to Nebraska in 1983 to open veterinary and swine consulting practices, later starting Pillen Family Farms and adding the genetics business DNA Genetics.2 His partnership with his father involved 60 sows and 1,200 market hogs on a dirt lot at the family farm.2
Pillen became governor in January 2023 and made property taxes a central priority, calling a special session in 2024.23 The resulting law moved existing credits onto property tax statements and added relief, but delivered substantially less than his original proposal.3
Seeking another term against Democrat Lynne Walz, Pillen proposes tighter caps on local spending and property valuation growth, and ending tax incentives for data centers.4 Their disagreement centers on how to reduce homeowners’ bills while paying for schools and other local services, with Walz favoring an expanded homestead exemption and relief targeted to residents.4
Record and controversies
Farm labor reporting
A joint Flatwater Free Press and New York Times investigation documented undocumented workers at Pillen Family Farms through court records and interviews.5 One former worker said a manager had accepted the false driver’s license he used to get hired.5 Pillen’s spokeswoman denied that he knowingly hired unauthorized workers and said he had exceeded legal verification requirements.5 Charges against workers for identity fraud are not a finding that the company knowingly violated hiring law.5
Contract investigation
A state audit questioned possible favoritism in a $2.5 million contract awarded without competitive bidding to a contractor Pillen recommended.6 WOWT reported October 8 that Lincoln Police were still investigating the contract.7 Pillen said he had acted properly, denied his office was the focus of investigators’ questions and said police had not interviewed him.7 An audit’s concerns and a police investigation do not establish a criminal finding against him.7