A Democrat-turned Republican in Nebraska has revealed his true colors, halting an initiative by former President Donald Trump and his allies to alter the state’s method of distributing electoral votes ahead of the upcoming presidential election. State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a leading figure in the Nebraska Legislature, declared on Monday that he would not support a proposal to change the current system, effectively derailing efforts that could have influenced the outcome of the presidential race.
“I understand the motivations of some of my colleagues and have taken time to listen to voices from Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides,” McDonnell stated, as reported by The Washington Post. “However, after considerable reflection, it’s clear that with just over a month left before Election Day, now is not the right time to make this change.”
Nebraska, along with Maine, is unique in the way it awards electoral votes—by congressional district rather than the typical winner-take-all approach. This system enabled President Joe Biden to win one electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Omaha area, during the 2020 election. Trump supporters have since pushed to shift Nebraska to a winner-take-all model, which they believe would benefit the Republican Party in a state that leans heavily conservative.
Trump allies have been urging the Republican-controlled Nebraska Legislature to hold a special session to pass this change before the November election. However, McDonnell’s opposition makes such a session unlikely.
The debate over Nebraska’s electoral vote system has been ongoing for months, with Trump supporters arguing that changing to a winner-take-all system could significantly impact the 2024 election. Their goal is to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from securing an easy path to victory by potentially winning Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which could combine with wins in critical swing states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
The pressure to change Nebraska’s system intensified last week after South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally, visited Nebraska to lobby for the shift. Trump also personally reached out to a state legislator in support of the effort. Despite these moves, McDonnell’s position seems to have shut down the push, at least for now.
Following McDonnell’s decision, state Sen. Loren Lippincott, who sponsored the legislation for the winner-take-all system, acknowledged that a special session is unlikely. “Governor [Jim] Pillen would only call a special session if 33 senators pledged to support the bill. That hasn’t materialized,” Lippincott told NBC News.
Trump voiced his frustration with McDonnell’s decision on his platform, Truth Social, accusing the senator of hindering progress. “Sadly, a Democrat-turned-Republican(?) Senator named Mike McDonnell decided, for no reason, to stand in the way of a huge Republican victory,” Trump wrote, branding McDonnell a “grandstander.”
Despite the current setback, Lippincott confirmed that the push for the electoral change is not over, stating, “I will reintroduce this bill in the next legislative session,” signaling that the fight over Nebraska’s electoral system may continue beyond the 2024 election.
ALL for the DC Swamp
Republicans aren’t smart enough to realize democrats have been infiltrating their party for years. They aren’t RINO’s, they are democrats posing as republicans and the Republican Party funds them.