Pete Ricketts has pumped nearly $4 million of his own money into what is now a $4.5 million bid for the Republican Senate nomination.

For the first time, the Ricketts campaign funding total has surpassed the amount of money raised by Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson for his re-election race.

But Ricketts is spending his cash on his May 9 primary bid while Nelson has conserved nearly

$3 million in cash on hand.

The latest Federal Election Commission finance reports were filed Thursday, reflecting activity during a three-week period ending on April 19.

Ricketts entered the final three weeks of the campaign with $802,000 in cash on hand compared to nearly $70,000 for David Kramer and $29,000 conserved by Don Stenberg.

Compared to Ricketts’ $4.5 million total, Kramer had raised $505,000 and Stenberg was conducting a $476,000 campaign.

Included in the Stenberg figures were $71,000 in personal loans, $63,000 of which was added to his campaign coffers this month.

Ricketts, who stepped aside as chief operating officer of Ameritrade to enter the Senate race, plowed $500,000 of his own money into the campaign on April 19, increasing his personal loans to $3,935,000.

As of the end of the latest reporting period, he had spent $3.7 million, much of it for extensive TV advertising.

Nelson raised about $90,000 in contributions during the first three weeks of April, bringing total receipts to $4.3 million.

The winner of the May 9 GOP primary contest will challenge Nelson in November.

Stenberg, a former three-term attorney general, was the 2000 Republican Senate nominee.

Kramer is a former Republican state chairman.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.