Nebraska election: Battle for electoral votes intensifies

Omaha, Nebraska
CNN
—

Omaha is a blue dot in Nebraska’s sea of ​​red. That’s why Donald Trump and his allies are fighting so hard to change the system in which states award electors in presidential elections.

Blocking the Nebraska Legislature from winning one of the state’s five electoral votes, as President Joe Biden did in 2020 in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Trump supporters have vowed to preserve the election even after closing the door on a pressure campaign aimed at Effort is alive.

“We’re going to keep pushing and pushing and pushing until it’s winner-take-all in Nebraska,” conservative activist Charlie Kirk said. He appeared here Tuesday with several state Republican Party officials to rally support for the reforms. “Nebraska may choose its president.”

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) this week is prepared to call a special legislative session to make the state’s presidential election winner-take-all, just to ensure Trump receives all the electoral votes. He said there is. But Pillen said he would only do so “if there is enough support to pass it in Congress.”

With less than seven months until the November election, Republican-led efforts to change Nebraska’s election laws that Democrats have vowed to block are undercut by the extremely close rematch between Biden and Trump, and by the fact that they won a majority in the election. This highlights the unstable path to achieving this goal. University, or 270 electors.

“There are outsiders trying to change the rules. You can’t do that,” said Precious McKesson, executive director of the Nebraska Democratic Party, which voted for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the state’s only electoral vote in 2020. ” he said. Please know that your vote is very important. ”

Nebraska is one of two states, along with Maine, that divides its Electoral College votes by congressional district, rather than a statewide winner-take-all rule. Under this system, the statewide winner receives two electoral votes, and the remainder is divided among the likely vote-getters in each district. Just as Biden did in Nebraska, Trump also benefited from the system in blue state Maine, where he received one electoral vote despite losing the entire state in 2016 and 2020. Obtained.

It is by no means a far-fetched scenario that this year’s presidential election will be decided by the vote of a single elector.

Among the battleground states in this year’s presidential election, if Mr. Biden wins the so-called blue wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Mr. Trump wins Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, Nebraska will become the second state. The balance will be tilted depending on the results of the constituencies, and there is a high possibility that the election will not end in a close contest. The score was tied at 269-269. (In such a scenario, the House would decide the winner.)

“If you believe in the electoral system (and I do), then why would it make sense that Nebraska wouldn’t follow the same idea?” Tuesday night at Lord of Host Church in Omaha. said Becky Rasmussen, who was in line for a rally for Kirk and his organization Turning Point Action. “We are one of the most conservative states, and it would be very disappointing for (Biden) to win even parts of this state.”

Kirk implored Trump supporters to keep up the pressure on governors and Republican lawmakers, but even in deep red Nebraska, it remains uncertain whether such efforts will succeed.

To win in the state’s unicameral legislature, 33 senators would need to support a filibuster-proof bill led by Democrats. Advisors from both parties told CNN that this is unlikely unless lobbying by Trump supporters changes the current political dynamics.

“This isn’t about Biden or the Trump campaign. It’s about democracy and whether we’re willing to protect it,” said the 20-year-old, who represents part of the 2nd District and is seeking his second seat this year. said Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas. “Nebraskas really care about this. That’s why we’ve protected this for so long.”

Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a four-term incumbent in Biden’s district, said he supports changing the state’s election law.

“I don’t think that would work if we were one of two states out of 50,” Bacon said. “I think it undermines Nebraska’s influence. I think it should be standardized.”

Nebraska Republicans are stepping up efforts at the urging of conservative activists and Trump supporters.

“One more vote. One more vote. One more vote,” Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood said Tuesday night, leading rallygoers in a chant.

The claims by Trump supporters amount to a rare public admission by the former president that he is certain to face a tight race with Biden. In 2016, Trump won all five of Nebraska’s electors, and Mitt Romney did the same in 2012. In 2008, Barack Obama won the 2nd Congressional District and achieved a landslide nationwide victory.

If Nebraska law is changed before November, Republican leaders say it would effectively cut off Biden’s path to victory and reduce what could be the most nuanced and most difficult contest to come. I believe this will open up new opportunities for President Trump.

Pillen agreed to call a special session, provided the election bill received the necessary support in the state’s 49-member parliament. Although Republicans hold a majority, the fate of the bill is uncertain, and if election rules change midway through the campaign, the entire issue could turn into a legal battle.

While Mr. Kirk is building a following in Omaha, state lawmakers in Lincoln, about an hour away, are finishing up their work for the year, despite growing demands from the right to review the law.

“If the radio goes silent, our next event will be on the steps of the Capitol,” Kirk said.

Kirk’s efforts were further accelerated Wednesday morning when new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley called on the Nebraska Republican Party to take action.

“President Trump and the Republican Party are united. Nebraska should move to a winner-take-all electoral system,” Whatley said. said on social media. “Let’s get this done.”

The Biden campaign has already set its sights on Nebraska, sending second-termer Doug Emhoff to Omaha to open a Democratic office last month. On the wall is a pointed message painted in blue: “Protect the Blue Dot.”

“They cannot have this blue dot,” McKesson, executive director of the Nebraska Democratic Party, sent a message to Republicans. “If you want it, work hard for it. But we’re going to fight to keep it.”

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.