In stunning turnaround, Joe Ricketts family endorses Trump, pledges financial support-Wall St. Journal

9/20/16, "After Failing in Costly Anti-Trump Effort, Ameritrade Founder Joe Ricketts to Back Nominee," Wall St. Journal, Brody Mullins, Rebecca Ballhaus

"Few Republicans have done as much to fight the presidential campaign of Donald Trump than Joe Ricketts and his family.
But in a stunning turnaround, Mr. Ricketts has now decided to endorse Mr. Trump, and plans to donate at least $1 million to help him win the presidency in November.

The founder of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. had donated millions of dollars to help Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s failed bid to defeat Mr. Trump at the start of the Republican primary. When Mr. Trump prevailed, Mr. Ricketts and his wife poured nearly $6 million into an anti-Trump super PAC....

A political adviser to Mr. Ricketts said many factors led to his change of heart. One was the realization that with just weeks remaining until Election Day, Mr. Trump remains within striking distance of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“The Ricketts decided they could not sit back and watch Hillary Clinton become the next president of the United States,” said Brian Baker, a longtime political strategist for Mr. Ricketts. “Even though the Ricketts supported other candidates during the primary, they believe it is time to unite behind the nominees … This is all about helping Republicans win in the fall.”

The super PAC also aims to erase Mrs. Clinton’s huge advantage over Mr. Trump in television advertising. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has aired nearly 115,000 TV ad spots since mid-June, compared to 20,000 aired by the Trump campaign, according to the Center for Public Integrity. Mr. Trump didn’t begin running TV ads until mid-August—unusually late in a general-election campaign.

News that Mr. Ricketts and fellow billionaire Sheldon Adelson planned to donate to Mr. Trump’s campaign surfaced Monday. Mr. Ricketts’s change in plans is one of the more remarkable reversals in an election campaign made up of remarkable reversals....

The Ricketts family also owns the Chicago Cubs and a son, Pete, is the governor of Nebraska....
 
In May, Pete Ricketts, the Nebraska governor, endorsed Mr. Trump."...


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