A top Donald Trump ally is pressuring Nebraska Republicans to award all of their state's Electoral College votes to the statewide winner, a late-stage rule change that could potentially help return Trump to the White House.
Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and both have done so in recent presidential elections. In Nebraska, which is solidly Republican, that means one of the state's five votes is competitive for Democrats.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met recently with GOP lawmakers in the state to encourage them to make a change supported by the state's all-Republican congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. The change was discussed earlier this year but lacked the votes to pass. Now, with Trump in an extremely close race against Democrat Kamala Harris where every electoral vote matters, his allies are making another push.
“To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris being president and not, and she’s a disaster for Nebraska and the world,” Graham said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.”
Trump's allies have been calling on Nebraska Republicans for months to make a switch despite a lack of necessary support in the state legislature. But there's new urgency to their push with fewer than 50 days until the election and Trump and Harris locked in a tight race across several battlegrounds.
There is a plausible scenario where the election ends up being decided by the voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a swing district in the Omaha area.
This year, if Harris wins the three so-called blue wall battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania while Trump wins the four Sun Belt battlegrounds of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, the result would be a 269-268 split in the Electoral College in favor of Harris.
Nebraska’s 2nd District, which went for President Joe Biden four years ago, could give Harris the decisive 270th electoral vote. Or, if Trump were to win, the election would end in a 269-269 tie. In that scenario, the president would be chosen by the House of Representatives, with each state's delegation getting a single vote — a scenario that favors the former president.
The five Republicans who represent Nebraska in Congress urged their colleagues in the state to change the law in a letter dated Wednesday, saying “the state should speak with a united voice in presidential elections.”
Any legislative change would require Pillen, the governor, to call lawmakers into a special session. He said in a statement he would “enthusiastically” do so if he gets a “clear and public indication” that there are 33 votes in favor, the minimum necessary to pass in Nebraska’s single legislative chamber.
Nebraska Democrats have started showing support for the state’s electoral vote split with yard signs showing a blue dot on a white background, symbolizing their potential role of the metro Omaha district as an island of blue surrounded by Republican red in the rest of Nebraska.
“Nebraskans don’t need out-of-state interests to come in and tell us to change the way we’ve been doing things for decades — especially when ballots have already been sent out," the Nebraska Democratic Party said in a statement Sunday. "We are proud of the state senators who have been consistent and steadfast in standing up for Nebraskans having a voice in our electoral process and will continue to do so.”
Trump's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Republicans currently control 33 seats in the Legislature but they are not united in support. One of those Republicans, state Sen. Mike McDonnell, recently switched parties but still represents a district that includes Democrats who oppose an Electoral College switch.
A McDonnell spokesperson told KETV in Omaha on Thursday that the senator “has heard compelling arguments from both sides, and as of today, remains a ‘no.'”
The system has long confounded Republicans, who have been unable to force the state into a winner-take-all system since Barack Obama became the first presidential contender to shave off one of the state’s five electoral votes in 2008. Biden in 2020 was the only other Democrat to capture Nebraska’s 2nd District electoral vote.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a state senator's name as Mike McDonnell, not McDonald.
FILE - Nebraska Governor-elect Jim Pillen answers a question in a panel discussion at a Republican Governors Association conference in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 5, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 55th homer of the season, Gleyber Torres and Jasson Domínguez also went deep and the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-4 on Sunday for a three-game sweep that moved New York to the verge of an AL East title.
Already assured of a playoff berth, the Yankees (92-64) can clinch the division with one victory over second-place Baltimore (86-70) during a three-game series in the Bronx that starts Tuesday night.
New York opened a two-game lead over Cleveland for homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
“Hopefully it's rocking,” manager Aaron Boone said of what he expects the environment at Yankee Stadium to be like on Tuesday.
Judge, originally drafted by the A’s in 2010 and from the California Central Valley, homered in each of his final two games at the Coliseum. He received a rousing ovation from the large contingent of Yankees fans in attendance when he ran out to center field before the game and again when he rounded the bases after his solo shot to center in the third.
The A’s, who will play in Sacramento next season ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, have one more series left at the Coliseum against the Texas Rangers beginning on Tuesday. They drew 24,663 in the Yankees’ series finale on Sunday.
Boone gave the game ball to Judge, who reached base four times and scored two runs. Judge said he was sad that the A’s are leaving Oakland, reminiscing on memories as both a player and a kid when he made a few trips to the Coliseum.
“There’s a lot of history in this building,” Judge said. “You can go back to the '70s, what they were able to do here three years in a row. A lot of special players played here, and just getting a chance to be on that same field and do some things — it’s definitely something I won’t forget.”
Judge already holds the AL single-season home run record he set with 62 in 2022 and moved ahead of Babe Ruth (1920, 1928), Mickey Mantle (1961) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) for fifth-most in franchise history. Judge has given the Yankees a lead with a home run 23 times this season.
A's manager Mark Kotsay said that Judge has his MVP vote and called the Yankees “one of the better teams we’ve run into.”
“That team showed why they have the record they do, why they’re going to the postseason,” Kotsay said. “They pretty much played really good baseball. They pitched really well and they had the timely hitting, the big hits and they showed their power today and this series.”
Domínguez tied the score at 2-2 with a two-run drive in the second. Judge followed in the third and Torres hit a solo shot to lead off the fifth off Joey Estes (7-9). Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a sacrifice fly later in the inning for a 5-2 lead.
Tyler Soderstrom and Ryan Noda each had two-run doubles for the A’s. Giancarlo Stanton doubled in a run in the seventh after Oakland closed to 5-4.
Luís Gil (15-6) won his third straight decision, allowing four runs, five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. Luke Weaver got five outs for his fourth save.
Gil said he was “extremely happy and satisfied” to reach 15 wins as a rookie and thankful for the run support on Sunday.
“Even if the opposing team scores a thousand runs, I want to keep giving my team a shot,” Gil said in Spanish, through an interpreter. “Because I know that those guys are going to be able to come back and score.”
Oakland's Lawrence Butler went 0 for 5, ending his league-leading streak of reaching base safely at 27 straight games.
ROSTER MOVES
Athletics: RHP Brandon Bielak was designated for assignment and RHP Joe Boyle was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Jake Cousins (right pec strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is hopeful that the reliever can return for the postseason, but is scheduled to see team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Monday. ... RHP Lou Trivino (right elbow), who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, has been shut down from his minor league rehab assignment, Boone said.
Athletics: RHP Ross Stripling (lower back strain) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session. He is expected to face live hitters on Tuesday and could be activated ahead of the final weekend of the season.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-4, 2.37 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday night against Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (7-10, 4.19).
Athletics: RHP Mitch Spence (8-9, 4.30 ERA) start Tuesday against Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-8, 3.96).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Oakland Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom (21) scores during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
Oakland Athletics pitcher Michel Otañez throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, far right, celebrates a win with second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) after a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is forced out at home by Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, left, celebrates a win with pitcher Luke Weaver after a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton hits during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil throws during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates with Aaron Judge (right) after he scored during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge hits during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
