Republicans haven’t given up on turning Nebraska’s blue dot red.
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement Friday that he’s prepared to call a special session of the Nebraska legislature before the November election to change the state law that awards electoral votes by congressional district, rather than awarding all of them to the statewide winner. But, Pillen said, he would only do so if there was sufficient support from state lawmakers.
Pillen’s statement underscores his willingness to change state law — an extraordinary move, given the election is less than two months away — but only if Republicans could persuade 33 senators to change their mind and support the bill. So far, support for a switch to the “winner takes all” format has been a few votes short.
Key context: Omaha’s blue dot refers to Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District and its single electoral vote, which is considered competitive for Democrats in the otherwise red state, thanks to the current system of awarding electoral votes proportionally.
If Vice President Kamala Harris can win the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, plus the blue dot, she can reach 270 electoral votes without winning a single other contested battleground state.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that award electoral votes by congressional district, rather than by statewide winner. Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020 are the Democratic Party’s only two candidates to reap a single electoral vote reward.
The effort to change the law now signals concern by Republicans that Trump is struggling to win the district.
The Harris campaign is spending millions to win there. Signs with a blue dot have been appearing on yards across Omaha in recent weeks.
