Two top state officials are doubling down on Gov. Pete Ricketts recent race-war with the University of Nebraska.

State Senators Steve Erdman of Bayard and Steve Halloran of Hastings are calling for the resignation of UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green, according to Erdman’s Legislative website.

Last week Ricketts, who stopped just short of pushing Green out the door, announced during a news conference that he has "lost all faith" in Green, accusing Green of pushing critical race theory—labeled by an Omaha World-Herald editorial as “this year’s favorite conservative boogeyman”— and calling for racial hiring plans that are rooted in Communism.

Republicans Erdman and Halloran say when it comes to trusting Green, Ricketts, a Republican, has reached the same conclusion they came to in November of 2017 when they met with Green and then-President Hank Bounds. According to the two lawmakers, Green and Bounds “were not truthful” about how conservatives were being treated at UNL.

Fast forward four years, add in Ricketts’ race-talk, and the senators want more insisting, “It would be in the best interest of the University and the people of Nebraska for Ronnie Green to resign.”

As for Ricketts’ attack on Green, it followed—and only by a few hours—an “Open Letter to Nebraskans” by NU President Ted Carter, in which Carter gave Green a big pat on the back when it comes to dealing with racial equality,  “I applaud Chancellor Ronnie Green for bravely beginning the dialogue,” wrote Carter.

But Ricketts said Green was doing more than just jump-starting a discussion, "What the University is talking about is giving unqualified people jobs based on their skin color...and (Ronnie Green) did not tell me those things when we were talking about that last week," said Ricketts during that news conference. "I was misled by Ronnie Green. I have lost all faith in Ronnie Green and don't believe anything he says anymore. And I don't know how you get that back."

In his open letter, Carter specifically said the University "Will not impose critical race theory, or any theory, upon students. We will not hire candidates based on their skin color."

Ricketts said he doesn't know how that squares with Carter's support for Green and said it’s up to the University to fix things.

Green has yet to comment publicly on any of the Ricketts/Erdman/Halloran onslaught.

In the meantime, the state’s largest paper backed Carter against Ricketts, noting that the Governor’s approach, “Tells the rest of America and its workers that Nebraska is unwelcoming to people of color even as it whips up phony fear and erodes the image of the university among a significant segment of Nebraskans.”