Trump-led attempt to pick up Nebraska electoral point halted by state lawmaker
After former President Donald Trump reignited a conservative push to snag one of Nebraska’s electoral votes that could decide the presidential election, a key state senator whose support is needed to make it happen quashed Republican hopes Monday.
State Senator Mike McDonnell said in a statement that he would not support altering Nebraska's current system, which splits its electoral votes by congressional district. Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the Nov. 5 election, is slightly favored to win one electoral vote from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, which includes Omaha.
A bill to change the system would require 33 votes out of 49 seats in the legislature. Republicans control exactly 33 seats, which means they cannot afford even a single defection with Democrats united in opposition.
"I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election," McDonnell said in a statement, noting that the election is only 43 days away.
In his statement, McDonnell urged Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and other state lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment during the next legislative session and put it on the ballot for Nebraskans to decide.
Despite the Cornhusker State being traditionally red, its 2nd district, which surrounds Omaha, has voted for Democrats twice since it began splitting its votes in 1991. This includes former President Barack Obama in 2008 and President Joe Biden in 2020.
Often referred to as the "blue dot" by Democrats, Omaha could be crucial in the presidential election.
If Vice President Harris won the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, while Trump captured the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina, the Nebraska vote would determine whether Harris won 270-268 or whether the race ended up a 269-269 tie.
And if the Electoral College is tied, the House of Representatives selects the winner, with each state delegation getting a single vote - a scenario that would likely favor Trump.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and a staunch Trump ally, met with Nebraska lawmakers last week to discuss the proposal.
"To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris becoming president or not," Graham said in an interview on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, but in a post on his Truth Social site, Trump called McDonnell a "grandstander" and vowed to win the Omaha-based electoral vote in November.
The Harris campaign referred a request for comment to the Nebraska Democratic Party, which did not respond.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's push to snag Nebraska electoral vote halted by state lawmaker