A Nebraska Republican state lawmaker said Monday he opposes changing how the state allocates its electoral votes, effectively blocking an effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to change the way it seeks additional electoral votes this fall.
Trump allies have pushed for a special legislative session for the Republican-controlled Legislature, which would change Nebraska’s system to a winner-takes-all system instead of awarding electoral votes by congressional district.
“After careful consideration, it is clear to me that 43 days from Election Day is not the time to make this change,” state Sen. Mike McDonnell wrote in a letter obtained by NBC News.
GOP state senate. Loren Lippincott, who sponsored the bill to move the winner-take-all, McDonnell’s position on Monday indicated that a special session to move the legislation is not expected this fall.
In response to questions about McDonnell’s statement, Lippincott emailed a draft of his weekly edition to local newspapers, which read: “Gov. [Jim] Billon did not want to call a special session until he got assurances from 33 senators that they would vote yes on the bill. That effort was unsuccessful. There will be no special session addressed by Winner Tag. I will pass this bill again in the next legislative session.
Lippincott did not hear directly from Billen in an email, but expects him to weigh in later this week.
“Time is ticking, and based on what the governor has said, I don’t see a path forward for this,” Trump and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican state Sen. who discussed the initiative with RS. Merv Ryb said. C., last week.
Rip told NBC News that he was initially concerned about changing the law so close to the election, but fellow Republicans said he wouldn’t stand in the way of making the change.
Nebraska’s Electoral College system was initially changed in 1992, Riebe said, in hopes of getting more media exposure and money spent on presidential races in Omaha. “I’ve heard some senators say, ‘Well, let’s wait and do it next year,'” he said. “And you’re kind of like, ‘Are you nuts?’ It doesn’t make sense because you’re talking about waiting until ’28, so it’s basically do it now or don’t worry too much about it.
McDonnell represents the Omaha area state senate district and is running for mayor of Omaha. A former Democrat, he He switched parties in AprilAfter state Democrats denounced him, he became a Republican.
Trump slammed McDonnell on Truth Social.
“It would have been better for everyone and a lot less expensive!” Trump wrote in part His post. “Unfortunately, Mike McDonnell, a Democrat turned Republican (?) state senator, for no reason, decided to go the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory. Another ‘huge!’
The developments cap months of debate over whether Nebraska lawmakers could change how the state distributes its electoral votes to benefit Trump.
Nebraska allocates its electoral votes by congressional district, and swing districts around Omaha have gone to Democrats twice in recent years, giving them one electoral vote from the otherwise ruby-red state.
But if lawmakers switch to a winner-takes-all model, Trump is guaranteed to win all of Nebraska’s electoral votes.
There is a plausible scenario that could determine who the next president will be.
For example, if Vice President Kamala Harris wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin but loses all others, she and Trump would be tied at 269 electoral votes in Nebraska, and Trump would win.
In that case, the race would be thrown to the U.S. House, where each state’s representatives would get one vote for president. Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives and want to keep it, though the House majority could change hands after the November elections.
However, if Nebraska does not change its apportionment system and Harris wins Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and loses every other swing state, he will win the presidential election by 270 electoral votes.
Nebraska Democrats applauded McDonnell’s announcement.
“Nebraska has a long and proud tradition of freedom,” said Jane Gleip, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
“Senator McDonnell has stood strong against overwhelming pressure from out-of-state interests to protect Nebraskans’ voice in our democracy. In this election and the next, Nebraskans will elect and lead the way at every level. People and our sense of freedom,” Gleip added.
Last week, Graham, a Trump ally, met with Billen and about two dozen Republican lawmakers to discuss how the state allocates its electoral votes, according to a source with direct knowledge of the trip.
Graham, who works on behalf of the Trump campaign, is working to encourage Billon to call a special legislative session in which lawmakers could consider changing the state’s distribution of electoral votes, the source said.
Proponents of the winner-take-all model need 33 votes in the state Senate to move forward with the change. Although the state’s unanimous Legislature is technically nonpartisan, McDonnell’s latest party flip has given Republicans 33 seats. But that narrow margin means Republicans can’t advance without him.
Billon has said he has yet to receive a firm and public indication that 33 senators will vote.
State legislators They told the Nebraska Examiner last week An estimated 30 or 31 state senators supported the change, meaning they were short by two to three votes. McDonnell was one of them. Sen. Merv Ryb was considered another. The Washington Post reported last week Ribe now advocates a change to a winner-takes-all system.
The renewed interest in Nebraska’s Electoral College vote comes months after Republicans tried and failed to make the change in the spring. By then, a pressure campaign backed by Billon, Trump and pro-Trump influencer Charlie Kirk had practically collapsed.
Ever since the state changed how it allocated its Electoral College votes 30 years ago, lawmakers have repeatedly tried to award all of Nebraska’s votes to the statewide winner. An attempt to do so passed in 1995, but the governor vetoed it. Another attempt in 2016 fell short by one vote.
Maine is the only state without a winner-take-all system. But while Maine Democrats have discussed changing their organization in response if Nebraska makes the switch, they appear to be running out of time to mount a countermeasure for November.
