Republicans aren’t giving up on flipping Nebraska’s blue dot red.
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement Friday that he is prepared to call a special session of the Nebraska Legislature before the November election to change state law to award electoral votes by district, rather than awarding all of the electors to the statewide winner. But Pillen said he would only do so if he received sufficient support from state lawmakers.
Pillen’s statement underscores his intention to change state law — an unusual move with the election less than two months away — if Republicans can convince 33 senators to change their minds and support the bill. So far, they are just a few votes away from supporting a “winner-take-all” system.
Key context: The blue dot in Omaha refers to Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District and its single electoral vote, which is considered competitive for Democrats in an otherwise Republican-dominated state due to the current system of proportionally allocating electoral votes.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – the three blue dot states – she can secure 270 electoral votes even if she doesn’t win any of the other battleground states.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that allocate electoral votes by district rather than statewide winner. Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020 are the only two Democratic candidates to win the prize of a single electoral vote.
The push to change the law reflects Republican concern that Trump is struggling to win in the district.
The Harris campaign is spending millions of dollars to win there, and blue dot signs have been appearing in yard signs across Omaha in recent weeks.
