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Nebraska Democrats will field a seasoned political figure in the state gubernatorial race in 2018, party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said Thursday — even if she has to put her own name on the ballot.

Her decision comes after party leaders considered not recruiting a Democrat in an effort to help State Sen. Bob Krist, an independent, in his bid to unseat Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Kleeb said the Democratic Party will not support Krist, officially or unofficially.

“It’s not my job to make sure Krist has a path to beat Ricketts,” Kleeb said. “I’m not the chair of his unnamed party. If he wants to become a Democrat, our door is wide open.”

Kleeb said she has been in talks with a potential candidate and expects to have an announcement soon.

If the party can’t recruit an experienced candidate, Kleeb said she would put her own name on the ballot as a sort of placeholder.