Preston Love Jr.
Preston Love Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1942 or 1943 (age 81–82)[1] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Martha |
| Relatives | Preston Love (father) Laura Love (half-sister) |
| Education | University of Nebraska, Lincoln (BS) Bellevue University (MPS) |
| Website | Official website |
Preston Love Jr. (born 1942/43) is an American politician and activist who served as Jesse Jackson's campaign manager during the 1984 Democratic primaries. He is the first black person to receive the support of a major political party for United States Senate in Nebraska, as he was endorsed by the Nebraska Democratic Party for the 2020 United States Senate election in Nebraska, challenging incumbent Senator Ben Sasse.
Early life
Preston Love Jr. was born in the early 1940s to Betty and Preston Love. In 1966, Love graduated with a degree in economics and later became a junior executive in IBM.[2] The musician Laura Love is his younger half-sister.
Career
In 1983, Love worked for Harold Washington during Chicago's mayoral election. During the 1984 Democratic primaries Love was selected by Jesse Jackson to serve as Jackson's presidential campaign manager.[2] In 1990, he formed an organization to recommend the addition of the contributions of black Nebraskans to the Nebraska Blue Book.[3] In 1992, Love ran for a seat on the Metropolitan Utilities District board, but later withdrew to recover from his cocaine addiction.[4][5][6] Love later became the 2nd associate chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party and first vice-president of the Omaha NAACP.
Chris Janicek won the Democratic Senatorial nomination for the 2020 United States Senate election in Nebraska. However, during the campaign, he sent out sexually inappropriate text messages to staffers, causing the Nebraska Democratic Party to withdraw its support from him.[7] The Nebraska Democratic Party attempted to replace Janicek with Alisha Shelton, but Janicek refused to drop out preventing the replacement. Love later announced his intention to run a write-in senatorial campaign and received the support of the Nebraska Democratic Party, making him the first black person to receive the support of a major party for United States Senate in Nebraska.[8][9][10]
References
- ^ Avant, J.D. (September 26, 2020). "Preston Love Jr. Isn't Through Yet". Omaha Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "After Preston Love Jr. hit bottom, he got restored in the Lord". Omaha World-Herald. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Blue Book likely to include deeds of blacks". Lincoln Journal Star. August 16, 1990. p. 24. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Recounts leave results the same in four races". Lincoln Journal Star. June 11, 1992. p. 24. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MUD candidate treated for cocaine addiction". Lincoln Journal Star. August 16, 1992. p. 44. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Candidate leaves Omaha campaign". Lincoln Journal Star. August 27, 1992. p. 27. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nebraska Democrat Urged to Quit Senate Race Over Sexual Texts to Aide". The New York Times. June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Preston Love Jr. announces write-in candidacy against Sen. Ben Sasse". Omaha World-Herald. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nebraska Democrats announce Preston Love Jr. as write-in candidate for Senate". WOWT. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nebraska Democrats name third pick to replace Senate nominee". WJAG. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.