In the run-up to the November presidential election, a last-ditch effort to prevent Donald Trump from potentially losing a crucial electoral vote in Nebraska appears to have met its end. On Tuesday, Nebraska’s Republican Governor Jim Pillen confirmed he would not push for a change in the state’s electoral allocation laws, effectively halting any attempts to prevent the state from splitting its votes in a way that might disadvantage Trump.
The push to revise Nebraska’s system—which is one of only two states, along with Maine, to split its electoral votes—needed a two-thirds majority in the state legislature to pass. Governor Pillen acknowledged that this threshold simply wasn’t achievable in time for the upcoming election. “Without the necessary votes, it’s a nonstarter,” Pillen said, underscoring the political reality that a proposal to change how the state assigns its five electoral votes was dead on arrival.
The announcement followed a key moment earlier in the week when State Senator Mike McDonnell, a Republican representing Omaha, declared that he would not back any such change ahead of the November 5 election. McDonnell’s opposition was a critical blow to the effort, making it clear that the proposal would fail to garner the required support in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.
Under current law, Nebraska awards two of its five electoral votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while the remaining three are split by congressional district. While Republicans have consistently won Nebraska’s statewide vote since 1964, the state’s 2nd Congressional District—which includes the city of Omaha—has proven to be a battleground. In 2020, it was Joe Biden who managed to flip the district, claiming one of the state’s electoral votes and helping to seal Trump’s defeat.
On Monday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing, “I LOVE OMAHA, and won it in 2016. Looks like I’ll have to do it again!!!” as he acknowledged the importance of once again securing Nebraska’s 2nd District in his quest for the presidency.
In a scenario where the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, wins key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and Trump manages to carry Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, the race could come down to a razor-thin margin: Harris at 270 electoral votes, Trump at 268. In that case, Nebraska’s 2nd District would be pivotal. Should the vote be tied at 269, the decision would fall to the U.S. House of Representatives, where each state delegation gets one vote—an advantage for Trump.
The Nebraska Democratic Party, led by Chair Jane Kleeb, has long supported the state’s split electoral vote system, arguing it reflects the will of the people more accurately than a winner-take-all approach. “Splitting the state’s electoral vote ensures the outcome truly represents the will of the people without interference,” Kleeb said in a statement released Monday. She expressed confidence that Nebraskans would continue to choose leaders who represent their independence and values.
Republicans, however, have been angling for a return to the winner-take-all system for years, frustrated by the state’s vulnerability to losing a single vote to Democrats. Yet, with McDonnell’s refusal to back the change and the lack of momentum in the legislature, their chances of reverting to that system have vanished—for now.
McDonnell himself has undergone a political transformation. Initially a Democrat, he switched parties in April after facing censure from the Democratic Party over his stance on abortion restrictions. On Monday, he stated that it was too close to the election to alter the system and suggested putting the question to voters through a state constitutional amendment.
Governor Pillen, though clearly disappointed, acknowledged the reality of the situation. In a statement, he said, “We left every inch on the field” in trying to push for the change. But without McDonnell’s support and the legislative votes required, the effort fell short. Pillen lamented the missed opportunity to ensure that “all Nebraskans’ votes are sought after equally this election.”
For Trump, this leaves the challenge of fighting once again for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a district that has historically defied the state’s Republican lean. He quipped on Truth Social that moving back to a winner-take-all system “would have been better, and far less expensive, for everyone!” However, it seems, for now, that battle will have to wait for another day.
