Nebraska’s chancellor endorsed a determine to make the state ‘ winner- take- all ‘ state, drawing praise from the previous president.
Nebraska Gov. By backing a provincial “winner-takes-all” system that would probably favor former President Donald Trump, Jim Pillen on Tuesday showed a willingness to support legislation that could potentially reduce President Joe Biden from receiving one of the state’s electoral votes.
Unlike every other U. S. position, only Nebraska and Maine attribute Electoral College votes by region. The state’s largest city, Omaha, has occasionally supported Democrat presidential candidates, most recently in the 2020 congressional district.
System Was Change
In January, legislators introduced a costs to use the common, winner- get- all program. Mr. Pillen, a Republican, endorsed the determine on Tuesday in a social media post.
President Trump supported his statement, calling the governor’s support for the measure “very smart.”
” Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner- Take- All System”, he wrote Tuesday.
” Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do—It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska”, he continued. ” Thank you Governor for your bold leadership. Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing. Nebraskans, respectfully ask your Senators to support this Great Bill”!
In 2020, President Joe Biden won Nebraska’s Omaha- based congressional district, giving him one electoral vote. With nearly 60 % of the vote, President Trump won the state.
Some analysts have claimed on social media that President Biden would have a problem if the Nebraska bill is passed because he would n’t have a clear path to 270 votes to become president.
” This means that if Biden ca n’t get the one electoral vote from the Omaha region, and he loses all the swing states but only WI, MI, and PA, he would only receive 269,” Biden’s said. His easiest path to 270 would be gone”, Politico analyst Jonathan Lemire wrote on that platform, referring to the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
After renowned conservative activist Charlie Kirk called the governor’s office to say his support for the measure, Mr. Pillen received his endorsement.
” I realized two things researching for my show: There was already a bill drafted, and the legislature was still in session”, Mr. Kirk told NBC News on Tuesday. So I made the decision to take action. Governor Pillen and President Trump merit praise for acting quickly.
On social media, Mr. Kirk, a supporter of President Trump, noted that if the former president wins Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, and no other states in November, “he loses by exactly ONE electoral vote. Why? Nebraska”.
” Nebraska votes its electoral votes by congressional district rather than winner-take-all,” Nebraska claims despite being one of the most Republican states. Thanks to this system, Omaha’s electoral vote leans blue: Obama won it in 2008, and Biden won it in 2020. He’s likely to win it again this year”, he continued.
A spokesperson for the Biden campaign said they are working on multiple ways to get 270 electoral votes in response to the push for a winner-take-all system.
New Poll Numbers
It comes as a poll from the Wall Street Journal shows President Trump leading Vice President Biden in six swing states. The former president garnered a lead of between 2 and 8 percentage points among voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina on a ballot that included a third- party candidate and an independent candidate, according to the poll.
But the results were similar in a one- on- one, Trump–Biden matchup, the paper said.
President Biden and President Trump were tied in a head-to-head contest with one another in Wisconsin, which is expected to be close, according to the Journal.
The Biden re- election campaign is grappling with voter concerns about the U. S. economy despite job growth, healthy spending, and better- than- expected GDP increases, an issue that has vexed economists and Democratic political strategists.
According to the poll, 48 % of respondents thought President Trump had the better physical and mental condition for the job, compared to 28 % for President Biden.
Reuters contributed to this report.