Donald Trump appears to be furious Monday after a Republican lawmaker killed off any chance that Nebraska’s five electoral votes will become winner-take-all in the Electoral College this November.
State Sen. Mike McDonnell, described by The Washington Post as a “key holdout” to the Trump-backed push to change the state’s electoral college rules, said that “43 days from Election Day is not the moment” to change how Nebraska votes.
Some Republicans have fought to pass an amendment that would see all of the state’s electoral votes go to whichever candidate won Nebraska’s popular vote, as it is in every other state besides Maine. The change would have broken decades of tradition in the cornhusker state, which has split its electoral vote allotment by congressional districts—in addition to awarding two electoral votes to the state’s outright winner—since 1992.
Trump took issue with McDonnell’s decision, calling him a “Democrat turned Republican(?)” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“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. 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,” he wrote. “Just another ‘Grandstander!’ Who knows, perhaps one of the others two Republicans that were a “NO” Vote will change their minds.”
Nebraska awards electoral votes for the winner of its three congressional districts, plus an additional two electoral votes to the state’s outright winner. District 2, which is highlighted in blue and includes Omaha, was won by Joe Biden in 2020’s presidential election.
Nebraska Legislature
Polls suggest that Trump will likely win the state’s overall popular vote. Under the current system, however, Harris is favored to win a single electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district, which was won by Joe Biden and includes Omaha and its suburbs.
McDonnell, a 58-year-old ex-Democrat, had been described as being a de facto tie-breaker on the issue for the 2024 election, The New York Times reported this weekend. His decision is squarely against Trump’s wishes and that of his Republican governor, Jim Pillen, who said he’d call a special legislative session to vote on the issue if he knew he had enough votes to pass it through. However, because of McDonnell and those under his influence, Pillen—and by extension Trump—simply doesn’t have the votes.
There was a meeting held Wednesday on the matter in Lincoln, the Times reported. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made the trip to attend in person while Trump reportedly called in to the meeting to “express his desire for the change.”
McDonnell said Monday that he personally wrote Pillen to make his position clear: “I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election.”
The statement shared by Mike McDonnell on Monday.
State Sen. Mike McDonnell
The local lawmaker added that he believes any changes in how Nebraska allots its electoral votes should be decided by the voters themselves—not a surprise amendment at the 11th hour in a presidential election year.
Trump did not immediately react to McDonnell’s decision on Monday afternoon. However, the leader of Nebraska Democratic Party, Jane Kleeb, thanked McDonnell for “standing strong.”
“Nebraska has a long and proud tradition of independence, and our electoral system reflects that by ensuring that the outcome of our elections truly represents the will of the people without interference,” she said.
Election map showing a not-so-impossible Electoral College tie that could have taken place if Nebraska switched to a winner-take-all system that was won by Donald Trump.
270 To Win
While a single electoral vote may seem insignificant on the surface, there’s a not-so-impossible scenario where Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district could determine whether Harris narrowly wins the election or finishes tied with Trump at 269.
That scenario, laid out by the Times, would come into play if Harris carries the so-called “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, but loses the western and southern swing states of Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina.
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