Winner-take-all push has help from Gov. Jim Pillen and Sen. Lind
LINCOLN — The nationwide Republican effort to help former President Donald Trump win all five of Nebraska’s Electoral College votes is ramping up again, and this time it might work.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen hosted more than two dozen state senators at the governor’s mansion on Wednesday, as well as the state’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Bob Evening.
Several people who attended the meeting said some previously hesitant senators now expressed more support for switching Nebraska to a winner-take-all system for awarding electoral votes this year.
macdonald and others who insist
Some see a shift in Omaha state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Omaha fire union leader who said he would never support winner-take-all when he switched from Democratic to Republican earlier this year. .
Omaha state Sen. Mike McDonald. August 5, 2024.
Five people who attended the meeting confirmed that McDonald told attendees he was looking for a way to get “consent” but also expressed concerns.
Some say Trump may soon reach out to McDonough, if he hasn’t already done so. The Trump campaign did not immediately comment on who he might contact.
On Wednesday, McDonald received a call on his cell phone and responded with a text message asking if he could call back later. He did not respond to several subsequent text messages seeking comment on the meeting.
Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Klebb said late Wednesday that her party is campaigning for votes, going door-to-door and interviewing Nebraskans about how to “lower costs.”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb is pictured. (Ariel Panovich of Bold Nebraska)
“Republicans bully legislators,” said Cribb, who has tried to keep McDonald in the party. “They don’t have the votes and this is all political theater for Trump.”
Omaha state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said she spoke with McDonald ahead of this summer’s special session on property tax relief, and he assured her he remained opposed to Winner Take it all.
She said she believed Macdonald was “a man of his word” and “took him at his word.”
Maine draws line in dunes: Will play winner-take-all game against Nebraska
MacDonald’s vote could be crucial. People who voted for Pillen and the Trump campaign told others that if McDonough did so, they expected the remaining Republican diehards to join them.
No one was willing to name them. Attendees said the public may soon hear more about specific boycotts.
stress exercise
Nebraska congressional delegation (from left): U.S. Pete Ricketts, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, U.S. Senator Congressman Deb Fischer and U.S. Rep. Mike Flood on Monday, June 19, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
The Trump campaign and local Republicans plan to use local pressure to persuade recalcitrant senators to support winner-take-all, with Trump and his surrogates participating selectively.
On Wednesday night, 1st District U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Nebraska, tweeted a letter All five members of Nebraska’s all-Republican congressional delegation support the move to a winner-take-all.
The letter said Nebraska should not have split its electoral votes since 1992.
Nebraska and Maine are the only states that award one Electoral College vote per congressional district, in addition to awarding two Electoral College votes to the statewide winner.
In 2020, President Joe Biden won an electoral vote in Omaha, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. Won all five votes in 2012. Former President Barack Obama won an electoral vote in the 2nd District in 2016.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the ranking member of the committee, appeared at the Senate committee meeting. (Alex Huang/Getty Images)
During a meeting at the governor’s mansion on Wednesday, state senators heard from Trump ally U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham about the national security and economic risks if voters don’t return Trump to the White House. .
A national Republican spokesman said Graham’s visit shows how seriously Republicans take the need for Trump to win Nebraska’s 2nd District. Some believe this could break the 269-269 tie in the Electoral College.
The spokesman said the Trump campaign and other Republicans have been calling, texting and visiting door-to-door for months.
Graham visit confirmed
State Sens. Loren Lippincott and Tom Brewer confirmed the meeting and Graham’s visit.
Both men sought to temper expectations that the 33 votes needed to overcome a promised filibuster had already been secured, saying a winner-take-all approach currently lacked the votes.
Center City State Senator Loren Lippincott. February 13, 2024.
Center City’s Lippincott said he was pleased to hear Graham and others discuss the importance of making changes and pushed back against the idea that changing the rules is too late.
Like Trump, he said he’s tired of Republicans worrying about what people think. He said it’s time for them to worry more about what will happen if Vice President Kamala Harris wins.
“Biden got all the votes in the primaries and they elected a new candidate in the fourth quarter,” he said. “We don’t intend to do anything illegal or unethical.”
Next steps
Brewer, who represents north-central Nebraska, said senators have yet to reach 33 votes and said he doesn’t see a path to 33 votes yet. He said his best guess was 30 to 31, echoing Lippincott’s tally.
Governor Jim Pillen held a press conference on August 20, 2024.
“I told them the government committee was ready if they could find the ballots, but I thought the chances were very slim,” said Brewer, who chairs the committee responsible for electoral law.
Pillen told senators that before he calls the special session, he needs them to show him that they have 33 firm commitments to support winner-take-all.
His office had no immediate comment Wednesday night on the progress of the effort. But a senator in attendance told the Examiner he said he would prefer to hold the meeting before next week.
Some lawyers argue that election rules should not be changed after voting begins. Early voting begins on October 7 in Nebraska.
