Nebraska Republican Leader Opposes Trump’s Move to Alter Electoral Votes

A growing push by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, to alter Nebraska’s electoral process to a winner-take-all system encountered a significant setback on Monday. This comes as a vital state lawmaker announced he would not support such a change before the upcoming November election.

State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a key Republican holdout whom GOP Governor Jim Pillen was counting on for support in overcoming a likely filibuster, stated he would not vote for changes to the electoral process at this time. Instead, McDonnell expressed his belief that the discussion should resume in the next legislative session, which is tentatively scheduled to start in January 2025.

“In recent weeks, a conversation around whether to change how we allocate our electoral college votes has returned to the forefront,” McDonnell stated. “I respect the desire of some of my colleagues to have this discussion, and I have taken time to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides of the issue. After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change.”

McDonnell further clarified his long-held position by informing Governor Pillen that he would oppose any attempts to alter the electoral college system before the 2024 election. He also urged Pillen and other colleagues to consider passing a constitutional amendment during the next legislative session, allowing Nebraskans to decide the issue through a ballot.

Last week, Pillen had indicated he would not convene a special session unless Republican legislators could demonstrate they had 33 votes needed to break a potential Democratic filibuster. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close ally of Trump, recently visited Nebraska to lobby lawmakers and meet with various stakeholders.

Nebraska Representative Mike Flood acknowledged McDonnell’s influential position, noting that the Nebraska legislature would need at least three more votes to overcome a likely filibuster. If other Republican holdouts remain steadfast in their opposition, McDonnell’s announcement could significantly derail the movement to shift the state’s electoral vote system to winner-take-all, despite pressure from congressional Republicans and Trump.

Flood, who represents Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District and supports changing the process along with the rest of the state’s federal delegation, emphasized that Nebraska should represent the majority of its citizens through its legislature. He remarked, “Nebraska has the right to speak with the majority of its citizens, by and through its legislature, and that’s what I want to see done.”

The proposed winner-take-all change would have considerable implications, particularly if the Republican-leaning state were to allocate all five of its electoral votes to Trump, instead of distributing them with Vice President Kamala Harris. In the 2020 election, Nebraska split its electoral votes, with President Joe Biden successfully flipping the 2nd district, which includes Omaha. Failure to secure votes from this area would hinder Harris’s chances of winning the general election, as she could not rely solely on the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The change could also create the possibility of a 269-269 tie in the Electoral College.

Flood noted the significance of Nebraska in this electoral math, saying, “It is amazing to think that could come down to Nebraska, but I think the math and the reality is that it very well may be true.”

On late Monday afternoon, Trump expressed gratitude towards Pillen for attempting to “simplify the complexity” of the state’s electoral map while criticizing McDonnell for his opposition. Trump labeled him a “Grandstander,” expressing his discontent over the senator’s stance.

“I would like to thank Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska for trying to help the Republican Party simplify the complexity of the State’s Electoral Map,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “It would have been better, and far less expensive, for everyone! Unfortunately, a Democrat turned Republican(?) State Senator named Mike McDonnell decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense victory. Just another ‘Grandstander!'”

Source: ABC News