Former President Donald Trump is supporting a late amendment to Nebraska’s election law that has the potential to withhold a crucial Electoral College vote from President Joe Biden, which could significantly impact a tight race.
Trump commended Gov. Jim Pillen of Nebraska for endorsing a bill aimed at terminating Nebraska’s long-standing practice of granting Electoral College votes based on winning the popular vote in any of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska wrote a highly intelligent letter!” Trump enthusiastically shared on Truth Social, along with a copy of Pillen’s statement.
The Omaha metro area in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District has been won by Democrats on two occasions, most recently in 2020. The remaining parts of the state lean heavily conservative and have consistently awarded their four other electoral votes to Republican candidates. Despite this, the congressional seat in the district has mostly been held by the GOP. Representative Don Bacon, a centrist Republican, secured his fourth term in 2022.
According to the initial report by Semafor, Pillen was responding to Charlie Kirk’s request for Nebraska lawmakers to pass the legislation before the current session concludes. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent ally of Trump, had called for this action. In his statement, Pillen stated that he had been supportive of the legislation right from the beginning.
According to Pillen, the proposed change in Nebraska’s voting system would align the state with 48 other states. He believes that this change would better reflect the intentions of the founders and ensure that Nebraska has a unified voice in presidential elections.
If Republicans were able to successfully change the law, they could potentially create obstacles for Biden’s reelection campaign.
Biden’s path to a second term is simple: replicate his victories in the key “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, while also securing the district in the Omaha metro area. Even if Trump manages to flip Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, he would still come up short of winning the White House.
If Nebraska’s laws were altered by Republicans, the Electoral College vote would result in a tie of 269-269. This would create a situation where the newly elected House of Representatives would determine the outcome of the presidency.
It’s worth being skeptical that Republicans can push this through
For years, Nebraska Republicans have been frustrated by a law that has caused them much concern. It is quite embarrassing for a state that leans heavily conservative and has not had a Democratic governor in 24 years or a Democratic senator in a decade to give away one of its Electoral College votes to a Democrat. After President Barack Obama narrowly won the 2nd Congressional District in 2008, several attempts were made to modify the law, but ultimately, they were unsuccessful.
State Senator Loren Lippincott, the author of the bill, has expressed skepticism about Republicans’ chances of achieving their desired outcome this year.
Lippincott, speaking to the Lincoln Journal Star, stated that currently, the progress of the bill seems to have come to a halt in the committee. He acknowledged the reality of the situation and expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of progress.
The law-changing legislation was introduced in January 2023 and has been largely inactive since then. Nebraska’s 60-day session is about to conclude in a few days.
Democrats in the state have also consistently obstructed or significantly impeded proposals in the officially nonpartisan unicameral legislature through the use of the filibuster. Similar to its counterpart in Congress, the Nebraska filibuster serves as a potent tool for the minority. In 2023, state Senator Machaela Cavanaugh made history by engaging in the longest filibuster ever recorded in the state. Her objective was to prevent the passage of a bill that aimed to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. Although a modified version of the legislation, which included a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks, eventually became law, the filibuster effectively paralyzed the Legislature for weeks.
In the original story, it was mentioned that the Republicans were only one vote away from having a filibuster-proof majority. However, on Wednesday afternoon, state Sen. Mike McDonnell, who had faced criticism from the Democratic Party for his stance on abortion and transgender rights, officially announced his decision to join the Republican Party.
McDonnell’s change of heart is not expected to have a significant impact on the legislation’s outcome. State Senator Megan Hunt highlighted that despite the increasing partisanship in the unicameral, the voting results are often more nuanced than just following ideological lines. Hunt criticized national reporting for unfairly portraying the dynamics of the unicameral.
On X, Senator Hunt addressed the issue of party leadership in the NE Legis. She made it clear that her colleague, Senator McDonnell, will maintain his consistent voting pattern. Hunt emphasized that this change in party affiliation does not impact their approach to voting, just as her previous decision to become an independent did not alter their stance.
Pillen also has political motivations to demonstrate his efforts in reforming the law. In the intense 2022 Nebraska Republican primary, Pillen emerged victorious, defeating Charles Herbster, the gubernatorial candidate favored by Trump. Following this, Pillen appointed former Governor Pete Ricketts to the US Senate, a decision that generated dissatisfaction among certain Nebraska Republicans due to Ricketts’ endorsement of Pillen’s opponent. Pillen, however, refuted any claims of wrongdoing in the appointment process.
Trump has actually benefitted from Maine, which is the only other state that allocates some of its Electoral College votes based on the congressional-district approach. In both 2016 and 2020, the former president managed to secure victory in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
