Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) stated Tuesday that he wouldn’t be calling a particular session for lawmakers to contemplate altering the state’s electoral system to winner-take-all after one key GOP lawmaker rejected a bid to flip his vote.
“My staff and I’ve labored relentlessly to safe a filibuster-proof 33-vote majority to get winner-take-all handed earlier than the November election,” Pillen said in a statement. “Given all the pieces at stake for Nebraska and our nation, we have now left each inch on the sector to get this completed.”
The Nebraska Republican singled out state Sen. Mike McDonnell — a Democrat-turned-Republican — who introduced Monday that he wouldn’t be altering his thoughts over updating the state’s electoral system. The governor famous he didn’t have the wanted votes to beat a filibuster over such a transfer.
“Senator Mike McDonnell of Omaha has confirmed he’s unwilling to vote for winner-takes-it-all earlier than the 2024 election,” Pillen wrote. “That’s profoundly disappointing to me and the numerous others who’ve labored so earnestly to make sure all Nebraskans’ votes are wanted equally this election.”
“Based mostly on the dearth of 33 votes, I’ve no plans to name a particular session on this challenge previous to the 2024 election,” he added. “I’m grateful to the numerous Nebraskans who made their voices heard throughout this course of.”
Nationwide and native Republicans alike in latest days had renewed a push to vary Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.
The Cornhusker State awards 5 electoral votes in complete, three of that are based mostly on candidates’ efficiency in every congressional district, providing one vote per district. Nebraska then awards two votes to whichever candidate wins the state.
Republicans had been seeking to syphon off a possible vote away from Democrats within the 2nd Congressional District, which has given Democratic presidential candidates an electoral vote a number of instances.
In a doable state of affairs the place Vice President Harris wins solely the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, she would arrive at 269 votes — which means profitable the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska might put her at 270 votes.
However McDonnell reaffirmed in a press release Monday that he was nonetheless in opposition to a transfer, leaving Republicans with out the 33 votes wanted to beat a filibuster.
“I respect the need of a few of my colleagues to have this dialogue, and I’ve taken time to pay attention rigorously to Nebraskans and nationwide leaders on each side of the problem,” McDonnell said. After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change.”
The transfer was additionally criticized by former President Trump, who had advocated for the transfer, saying on his Fact Social platform: “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. Just another ‘Grandstander!’”
