Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said Tuesday that he has “no plans to call a special session” to change the way the state allocates electoral votes to a winner-take-all system, ending an effort led by Donald Trump.
The announcement comes after Republican state Sen. Mike McDonnell said he would not support a last-ditch effort to overturn the law that awards electoral votes based by congressional district.
“Given everything at stake for Nebraska and our country, we have left every inch on the field to get this done,” Pillen, a Republican, said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, we could not persuade 33 state senators. Senator Mike McDonnell of Omaha has confirmed he is unwilling to vote for winner-take-all before the 2024 election. That is profoundly disappointing to me and the many others who have worked so earnestly to ensure all Nebraskans’ votes are sought after equally this election. Based on the lack of 33 votes, I have no plans to call a special session on this issue prior to the 2024 election. I am grateful to the many Nebraskans who made their voices heard during this process.”
The statement puts an end to a saga that saw Trump attempt to pressure state lawmakers to change the Nebraska’s law in time for the vote in November. The Cornhusker State allocates two electoral votes for the statewide popular vote winner and one to the popular vote winner in each of the state’s three congressional districts. Trump won all five of Nebraska’s electoral votes in 2016, but won only four in 2020, with Joe Biden carrying the Omaha-area seat.
McDonnell said that he believed it was too late to change the law before the November elections.
“Even though I would be opposed to changing, going back to winner-take-all, I’d let the people of Nebraska vote. But you’re talking about 42 days before an election. No, that is not fair,” he said.
McDonnell, who declined to say whether he had spoken with Trump, noted the 2nd Congressional District has flipped between parties over the past few election cycles. He also said that the system helps “makes us relevant.”
“It makes people come in and spend dollars, and it also makes them work for the vote,” McDonnell added.
The fight over a single electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which has become known as Omaha’s blue dot, has emerged as a symbol of just how close the race between Trump and Kamala Harris has become.
