Nebraska lawmakers soundly defeated an effort in the Legislature to shift the state to a winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes, a measure whose fate drew interest from the Biden campaign — and pressure from Donald Trump.
Legislators struck down state Sen. Julie Slama's attempt to attach the bill to unrelated existing legislation Wednesday, by a vote of 36-8, leaving Republicans with a shrinking window to bring the measure up for a vote before the legislative session ends April 18.
Unlike most other states, Nebraska splits its five electoral votes by awarding two to the statewide winner and the remaining three to the presidential candidate who wins each of its three congressional districts. Although Trump won Nebraska in 2020, the state's 2nd District, which encompasses the purple Omaha area, went to President Joe Biden, nabbing him one electoral vote.
Trump was trying to prevent a repeat of that scenario in this year's election by publicly pressuring Nebraska's senators on the bill in a Truth Social post Tuesday. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen also put out a statement earlier that day voicing his support for the measure.
The pressure campaign originated from conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who called on listeners of his podcast to press Pillen on it this week. An unnamed legislative staffer told NBC News that there had been little movement on the bill, which was introduced in January 2023 — until Kirk raised it in his show.
Kirk, 30, and his far-right group Turning Point USA have substantial sway over Trump's MAGA movement, as my MSNBC colleague Ja'han Jones has noted.
The sudden burst of activity surrounding the bill led the Biden campaign to reach out to Democrats about the vote, NBC News reported. Their concern about its fate underscores how critically the campaigns regard every single electoral vote in what is slated to be a tight presidential race.
Another state with a split electoral vote system like Nebraska's is Maine, where Biden won in 2020 but Trump notched one electoral vote from his district win. Lawmakers in Maine are moving ahead with a measure to award all four of its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote — an effort that Maine Republicans largely oppose.