Brad Ashford won’t be a write-in candidate for Nebraska senator

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Former Congressman Brad Ashford confirmed on Thursday that he will not be running against Sen. Ben Sasse as a write-in candidate on the November ballot, citing a lack of time to run an effective campaign.

Ashford also said that it would disrespectful to Alisha Shelton, whom the Nebraska Democratic Party tapped to replace embattled candidate Chris Janicek on the ballot after calling on him to drop out.

“When I was asked to run last weekend, I was hopeful that I could mount a campaign quickly enough to be a viable candidate. I have determined that for me I cannot do so,” he said in a statement to 6 News.

Earlier this week, Ashford had been floated as a possible Democratic contender to run against the incumbent Nebraska senator in place of Janicek, an Omaha businessman who has embroiled his party in controversy after refusing to bow out of the race following a sexual harassment complaint.

Ashford sent the following statement to 6 News:

My campaigns have always been about bringing people of all parties and views together to find solutions that help solve difficult issues. I have determined that I do not have the time or resources to run such a campaign for the U.S. Senate.

I am extremely honored to have been asked to run for the Senate by the Nebraska Democratic Party. The failure of Chris Janicek to drop out of the Senate race has put a significant strain on the Party and its ability to field a viable candidate. In response, the Party selected Alisha Shelton as its candidate for the Senate... Alisha is an excellent choice. She would win the race in November and be an outstanding Senator. However, should Janicek not drop out of the race by Sept. 1, by state law her votes cannot be counted.

When I was asked to run last weekend, I was hopeful that I could mount a campaign quickly enough to be a viable candidate. I have determined that for me I cannot do so.

I am hopeful that the Nebraska Democrats are able to recruit a candidate to run against Ben Sasse.

Finally and in my mind most importantly it would be disrespectful to Alisha Shelton to run as a candidate for Senate in her stead without any realistic chance of success. The best solution now is to put the time and effort into electing Joe Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot who are working so hard to bring about meaningful change to our state and our country.

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Brian Mastre contributed to this report.