Democrats Freak Out About Nebraska as Trump Pushes Winner-Take-All System in State

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump points to supporters
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Democrats are sounding the alarm on Nebraska as Republicans, including Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) and former President Donald Trump, push an effort to award all of the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the statewide vote.

On Tuesday, Pillen formally joined the conservative-led effort to change the way Nebraska awards electoral votes. Currently, the state deviates from the winner-take-all method and awards votes based on the congressional district. In other words, a presidential candidate could successfully win the state but still lose an electoral vote if the other candidate won a specific congressional district. This has happened before, when former President Barack Obama won an electoral vote in 2008, and President Biden garnered an electoral vote in 2020 after winning District 2 by fewer than 23,000 votes.

In a post this week, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk explained why that matters so much.

“Suppose Donald Trump flips Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada next fall, as current polls all show him doing. Would he win the presidency? Not quite. In fact, if Trump flips those three states and no others, he loses by exactly ONE electoral vote Why? Nebraska,” he explained:

Even Pillen jumped on board to address the issue, openly supporting the state moving to winner take all — something Democrats do not want:

A panel on MSNBC recently sounded the alarm, which included former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina.

“If that changes and we don’t know that it will — it’s, the state legislature is gonna look at it — but if that changes, that takes away Biden’s best path to win because if you get — if he wins Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, then loses the other swing states and no longer picks up the one in, Nebraska 269,” the panel noted, as a candidate individual needs 270 electoral votes to win.

“I think this is what the modern Republican Party has become,” Messina said, accusing Republicans of “now changing the rules in the middle of trying to benefit themselves.”

“This is the hell that Donald Trump hath wrought,” he said.

“In the middle of this changing the rules 200 days before the election is ridiculous. I think you’re right. I think there are real simulation problems,” Messina said, admitting that the one Democrat electoral vote is very important to Biden’s effort.

“When you look at the map, that one electoral vote really matters in the combination of other things, then you need another state. And so the easiest pathway to victory has always been the Midwestern three states combined with Nebraska. Something tells me they’re not going to get away with this easy,” he continued, predicting “a national outcry for trying to change the rules here.”

WATCH:

Politico Playbook also highlighted this effort on Wednesday as Kirk concluded that “panic” is ensuing:

Megan Hunt, the state senator in Omaha’s District 8, also sounded the alarm on these efforts, calling it “pathetic.”

“This just shows that Donald Trump has serious concerns that this election is going to come down to one electoral vote, and he’s willing to cheat and change the rules state-to-state to ensure his victory,” Hunt said. “It’s pathetic and if he wants to win Omaha’s vote, he should come earn it.”

Trump publicly joined the effort on Tuesday, adding to the mounting leftist concerns.

“Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do — It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska,” he continued, thanking the governor.

“Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing. Nebraskans, respectfully ask your Senators to support this Great Bill!” he added:

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