Former President Donald Trump and Republican Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen are calling on the state to move to a winner-take-all election system, which could be a major blow to President Biden’s path to victory in November.
Since 1992, Nebraska has been one of two states to apportion electoral votes in a proportional manner, with a portion of electoral votes distributed by congressional district. The other state is Maine.
While Donald Trump won Nebraska by nearly 20 points statewide in 2020, Biden managed to flip the 2nd District around Omaha and move to 306 electoral votes by one electoral vote in the last presidential election.
As Trump explores how to get the 270 electoral votes needed to win in November, he has his eyes on that one Nebraska district and wants to see the state’s more than 30-year-old system changed.
The idea of moving to a winner-take-all system was sparked this week after conservative Turning Points USA founder Charlie Kirk posted on X.
“Suppose Donald Trump flips Arizona, Georgia and Nevada next fall, as current polls all show. Would he win the presidency? Not quite. If Trump flips these three states and no others, he will essentially lose by exactly ONE electoral vote,” Kirk wrote. ‘Why? Nebraska.’
Trump is campaigning in Nebraska on Tuesday. He praised Nebraska Governor Pillen on Tuesday for his support of a winner-take-all election system
There is a bill, LB 764, introduced in the state legislature by conservative Republican Senator Loren Lippincott in January 2023 that would move the state to a winner-takes-all system. But it was referred to a committee over a year ago and has remained there ever since.
On Tuesday, Republican Governor Jim Pillen released a statement saying he supports the bill.
“I am a strong supporter of Senator Lippincott’s winner-take-all bill (LB 764) and have been from the beginning,” he said. “It would align Nebraska with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the intentions of the Founders, and ensure that our state speaks as one unified voice in the presidential election.”
Pillen called on Republicans in the Legislature to pass the bill and said he would sign it.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen speaks at an event in Washington, DC in 2023
Republican Governor Pillen says he favors a move to a winner-take-all electoral system
The Nebraska Legislature is unicameral and officially nonpartisan, but the majority of lawmakers are registered Republicans.
Trump praised Pillen on Tuesday for his support of a winner-take-all system, claiming it is “good for Nebraska.”
“Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing. Nebraskans, respectfully ask your Senators to support this Great Bill,” he wrote in a social media post.
The Nebraska Republican Party is also backing the bill, but state Democrats are skeptical of efforts to amend the legislation before its term expires. The Nebraska legislative session ends on April 18.
“Live reporting from the trenches – don’t worry, we’re not getting rid of our unique electoral system in Nebraska,” State Senator Megan Hunt, who represents District 8 in Omaha, wrote about X. “Legislatively, there just isn’t time. Nothing to worry about this year.’
Hunt said the effort only shows that Trump has serious concerns that the election will come down to one electoral vote and accused him of being willing to “cheat and change the rules from state to state” to ensure a victory. Hunt called the move pathetic.
The chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party urged Nebraskans to call on their senators to voice their support for the current system.
“We are proud of our unique voting system and know all too well the economic benefits it generates with a national focus on our state,” said Chairman Jane Kleeb.
“Governor Pillen may have been influenced by extremist online personality Charlie Kirk, but our party is confident that the Nebraska Legislature will continue to protect our fair election system.”
If Trump were to flip the three battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, as Kirk suggested, he would still fall just short of the necessary 270 delegates needed to win the presidency by 268.
Biden lost Nebraska statewide in 2020 but won the state’s second district, giving him one of the state’s electoral votes. He won the presidency with a total of 306 electoral votes
If Biden loses those three states he won in 2020, but still captured the battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, he would need exactly 270 delegates to win.
If Nebraska were to switch to a winner-take-all system under that map, the electoral college would be split between Biden and Trump by a 269-269 vote. If the electoral college is tied, the decision goes to the House of Representatives, where Republicans currently have the smallest majority in decades.
The only other state without a winner-take-all system for its electoral votes is Maine. In 2020, Biden won the state overall, but Trump received one electoral vote from the rural second district.