# New political party push divides Nebraska Democrats  
**Published:** 2026-06-29T20:33:08.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/a-new-political-party-could-be-coming-to-nebraska-state-democratic-party-officials-call-foul/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/new-political-party-push-divides-nebraska-democrats

A former Democratic candidate is attempting to form a new political party in Nebraska, sparking accusations from party leaders that the effort is designed to help Republican candidates in the November election.

The push to establish the [Nebraska Working People Party](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/a-new-political-party-could-be-coming-to-nebraska-state-democratic-party-officials-call-foul/) is sponsored by Robin Richards, a registered Democrat and Ralston resident who lost a write-in campaign for the state legislature earlier this year, according to documents obtained from the Secretary of State's office.

Organizers behind the new party said it aims to provide Nebraska voters with "a political organization dedicated to advancing the interests of working families, middle-class Nebraskans, rural communities, small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and individuals seeking practical solutions." Richards has until July 15 to collect approximately 6,726 signatures—at least one percent of votes cast for governor in the most recent general election—to qualify the party for the general election ballot.

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb immediately blamed U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, claiming the effort is designed to "divide the vote and create chaos" in the competitive Senate race between Ricketts and independent challenger Dan Osborn. "There's only one reason to launch a new party this late," Kleeb said, "divide the vote and create chaos. Voters see through spoiler games funded by special interests."

The national Working Families Party is considering legal action against the Nebraska effort, according to Nebraska Public Media. The national organization confirmed it has no involvement in the petition and raised concerns about the similar name potentially confusing voters.

Richards endorsed Republican state Senator Merv Riepe for the general election after her legislative loss. The move comes amid a contentious election cycle that has already seen allegations of "planted" candidates in Nebraska's U.S. Senate race and other statewide contests.

Nebraska Republican Party Chair Mary Jane Truemper said Republicans respect the right to file petitions but remain focused on winning in November. "We respect everyone's right to file petitions but our focus remains clear: to win in November with Republicans up and down the ballot," Truemper said.

The general election is scheduled for November 3.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/a-new-political-party-could-be-coming-to-nebraska-state-democratic-party-officials-call-foul/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/29/a-new-political-party-could-be-coming-to-nebraska-state-democratic-party-officials-call-foul/.