America First Party (2026)
America First Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | John Cartier |
| Founder | John Cartier |
| Founded | July 1, 2026 |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colors | Navy Red |
| Website | |
| americafirstne | |
The America First Party is a right-wing political party active in the U.S. state of Nebraska.
History
[edit]In July 2026, lawyer John Cartier submitted over 15,000 signatures to the secretary of state of Nebraska to file as an official party.[1] Cartier, the attorney general for the Omaha Tribe, had previously served as treasurer for Mike Marvin, the Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party's nominee for U.S. Senate in the 2026 election. Following challenges by the Nebraska Republican Party over alleged "political sabotage", the state Supreme Court cleared the America First Party to become an official party within the state.[2][3] Following its establishment, John Cartier was named as the party's chair, along with Kimberly Bowling-Martin as vice chair, John Knight as secretary, and Devin Specht as treasurer.[4]
The party nominated five candidates for office in Nebraska in the 2026 cycle, including former state legislators Bob Krist for secretary of state and Brett Lindstrom for governor.[5] Krist had previously considered a nonpartisan run for secretary of state before initially backing out.[6][7] Lindstrom had launched an independent campaign for governor prior to the party's establishment, though he was removed from the ballot after many signatures collected by the campaign to qualify were found to be fraudulent.[8] Lindstrom switched his affiliation to America First in August and announced he would run under the party's nomination on September 1st.[9][10] He named Navy veteran Mike Picard as his running mate.[8]
Political positions
[edit]In a statement by Cartier, the America First Party would "provide voters with a political organization committed to putting Americans and Nebraskans ahead of all others by cracking down on out-of-control government spending and wasteful foreign aid, getting tough on illegal immigrants, standing up against abortion, and rigidly defending the Second Amendment".[1]
Election results
[edit]Congressional elections
[edit]| Year | Candidate | District | General election | Notes | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Result | |||||
| 2026 | Chuck Conboy | Senate | TBD | [5] | |||
| 2026 | Daniel Hartong | NE 1 | TBD | [5] | |||
State elections
[edit]| Year | Candidate | Office | General election | Notes | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Result | |||||
| 2026 | John Knight | State Auditor | TBD | [5] | |||
| 2026 | Bob Krist | Secretary of State | TBD | [5] | |||
| 2026 | Brett Lindstrom | Governor | TBD | Mike Picard is Lindstrom's running mate for lieutenant governor. | [5] | ||
References
[edit]- 1 2 Salinas II, Juan (2026-07-15). "Organizers of efforts to establish two new political parties in Nebraska submit signatures • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Kleiber, Anna (2026-08-27). "America First Party plans statewide candidates after Nebraska court ruling". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Salinas II, Juan (2026-08-20). "Nebraska GOP, Dems appeal to state Supreme Court to stop other political parties". 1011 NOW. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Salinas II, Juan (2026-08-25). "Here are the officials of Nebraska's likely new political parties". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Grinvalds, John (2026-09-01). "Five candidates file for Nebraska's America First Party ticket". KETV. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Wendling, Zach (2026-06-15). "Second former Nebraska lawmaker mulling nonpartisan run, including for secretary of state". 1011 NOW. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Wendling, Zach (2026-09-01). "Former state Sen. Bob Krist selects America First Party for secretary of state run". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- 1 2 Koperski, Scott. "'Significant number' of fraudulent signatures sinks Lindstrom's bid in Nebraska governor's race". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Brett Lindstrom refiles for Nebraska governor as America First Party candidate. 2026-09-01. Retrieved 2026-09-03 – via www.ksnblocal4.com.
- ↑ Parsons, McKenzy (2026-08-28). "Lindstrom registers with America First Party after previously running for governor as independent". KETV. Retrieved 2026-09-03.