Nebraska State Sen. Mike McDonnell
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — State Sen. Mike McDonnell said Monday that he doesn’t support changing how Nebraska allocates its electoral votes before the election.
“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 said in a statement.
The announcement dooms the last-minute push by allies of former President Donald Trump to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state.
POLL: Should Nebraska be a winner-take-all state in the Electoral College?
Nebraska and Maine award two Electoral College votes to the statewide winner and one vote to the winner of each congressional district.
Every other state awards all electoral votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
Democratic candidates won the electoral vote from the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District in 2008 and 2020.
Polling this year shows Vice President Kamala Harris ahead in the district.
SEE ALSO: RFK Jr. is out, Cornel West is in: Nebraska’s presidential ballot is set
McDonnell is a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. He was a Democrat until last spring.
His vote would have been necessary to make the change.
McDonnell said the current system “gives all Nebraskans an equal voice” in presidential elections.
“For Omaha, the city I love and have called home for 58 years, it brings tremendous national attention, is impactful on our local economy and forces Presidential candidates to make their case to all Nebraskans, instead of just flying over and disregarding us,” he wrote.
But McDonnell said he wants the Legislature to pass a constitutional amendment in the next session to let Nebraskans decide the issue “once and for all.”
Other Republicans criticized McDonnell’s decision, with Sen. Pete Ricketts saying he is “incredibly disappointed.”
Trump said on Truth Social that McDonnell “decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory.”
The former president said, “I LOVE OMAHA, and won it in 2016. Looks like I’ll have to do it again!!!”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb praised McDonnell for “standing strong against tremendous pressure” to support winner-take-all allocation.
“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,” she said in a statement.
Tags: 2008, 2020, 2024 election, 2nd congressional district, congressional district, Donald Trump, Election, electoral college, electoral college votes, electoral votes, General Election, Jane Kleeb, Kamala Harris, Legislature, mike mcdonnell, Nebraska, Nebraska Democratic Party, Nebraska Legislature, nebraska politics, Omaha, Pete Ricketts, politics, popular vote, TRUTH Social, winner-take-all
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 20:29:00
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