With an emphasis on cultural values and a commitment to "support President Bush and his conservative reform agenda," Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts said Saturday he's in the 2006 Senate race.

Ricketts will file as a Republican candidate on Monday and make his first campaign appearance Wednesday at a GOP ice cream social in Valentine.

During the next 90 days, he said, he'll informally introduce himself to Nebraskans across the state, listen to their concerns, discuss his own views and prepare for a formal campaign lift-off this autumn.

A brief written announcement on Saturday was the first confirmation of Ricketts' political intentions. He resigned 10 days ago as chief operating officer of Ameritrade Holding Corp., effective Aug. 26, to "explore an opportunity in public service."

In a telephone interview, Ricketts, 40, identified cultural issues as an overriding concern, citing his determination to "protect values and encourage responsibility."

His active political involvement began last fall, Ricketts said, when he worked with Gambling with the Good Life to defeat proposals to authorize casino and video gambling in Nebraska.

The Omaha multimillionaire will join former Attorney General Don Stenberg and former Republican State Chairman David Kramer in the GOP primary race. The winner will challenge Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, who is on course to seek a second term.

Ricketts declined to identify specific differences with Nelson at this time, suggesting his initial focus needs to be on the Republican primary contest and the challenge of entering the race as a relatively unknown candidate.

But, he said, "I believe Republicans can beat Ben Nelson because at the end of the day he is a Democrat beholden to the Democratic leadership of Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.

"Their values stand in stark contrast" to those of conservative Nebraskans, Ricketts said.

Ricketts said he's prepared to spend what is necessary for Nebraskans to know who he is and what he would intend to do as a senator.

"I plan to invest in my campaign," he said, "and I hope to get others to invest."

Among the cultural values he identified in a one-page statement were protection and respect for life "from the unborn to the most aged," preservation of "the sanctity of marriage as being between a man and a woman" and support for traditions of religious liberty and belief in God.

As Ricketts prepared to step into the race, Kramer was campaigning in Kimball, Hastings and Red Cloud. He will have visited 45 of the 93 counties by the end of this week.

"I expect a very spirited, issue-oriented campaign," Kramer said, "and we fully expect to do what is necessary to win."

Stenberg has won three statewide contests for attorney general. He also has campaigned statewide twice as a Senate candidate, losing to Nelson in 2000 in a tight race.

"I don't anticipate a lot of issue differences in the primary," Stenberg said. "In the end, I believe voters will be more comfortable with someone with a proven record who they know and trust."

Ricketts said he began to consider a Senate bid last spring and decided to make the leap when he was energized by White House political advisor Karl Rove's speech on Social Security reform at Ameritrade headquarters in Bellevue last month. He said he and Rove did not specifically discuss the race.

While he has been encouraged by some Republican leaders to enter the contest, he said, they told him they would be neutral in the primary.

If elected, Ricketts said, he would support a conservative agenda that promotes economic opportunity, lower taxes, modernization of Social Security and free trade policies that open markets to agricultural products.

While he supports the concept of allowing younger workers to invest some of their Social Security payroll taxes in personal accounts, Ricketts said, "that's not the total solution."

Ricketts said he supports the goal of U.S. policy in Iraq, believing establishment of democracy in the Middle East would enhance U.S. security. He said he does not have the military background to assess Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's criticism of some aspects of Bush administration policy in Iraq.

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