Republicans in Nebraska have temporarily shelved their intention to alter state legislation in favour of Donald Trump’s campaign. A prominent state senator has already ruled out any immediate attempts to manipulate the Electoral College calculations in the run-up to the general election.
Republican state legislature speaker John Arch announced on Friday that further bills could not be added to existing legislation owing to the short time remaining in the session. His comments effectively ended a last chance for Trump’s supporters to adopt a measure that would have made the Electoral College vote allocation in Nebraska a winner-take-all affair.
Don Jr., the son of Donald Trump, joined conservatives in demanding that the governor convene a special session of the legislature without delay in order to resurrect the bill’s consideration.
The governor, Jim Pillen, has already voiced his support for the measure that would eliminate the practice of the state dividing their Electoral College votes. Presently, two are awarded to the winner of the popular vote statewide, and an additional one is given to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district.
By eliminating President Joe Biden’s electoral vote from the Omaha-based swing district of Nebraska, known as the 2nd District, this amendment would undoubtedly benefit Trump. Without this vote, Biden would not have a chance to regain the presidency, even if he were to win just the three battleground states in the Midwest.
Those who support Trump and are aware of this situation have been pushing for a legislation change in Nebraska at breakneck speed. The plan gained fresh momentum when conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk started an online pressure campaign in support of the exchange, which Trump personally rallied behind.
However, the initiative has been delayed due to time constraints and, at least for the time being, sufficient political resistance. The law mandating a winner-take-all format is presently in committee and lacks the necessary “priority” designation to be considered by the entire legislature. Efforts were made at the last minute on Wednesday to ensure its passage. State Senator Julie Slama (R) offered the winner-takes-all measure as an amendment to a bill that had already been presented to the entire chamber. Unfortunately, the amendment did not pass because the vast majority of senators felt it had no bearing on the attached measure.
Following that defeat, the winner-takes-all measure’s sponsor, Republican Senator Loren Lippincott, informed the Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford that he would try to attach it to another bill that is currently being considered. However, Lippincott also hinted that the bill lacks the necessary support to pass at this time, since some senators would rather wait until after 2024.
In response to requests for comment, neither Pillen nor Lippincott were immediately available.
Following today, the session will continue for the next four days, with three days off next week and the final day on April 18.