Trump faces a major setback in Cracking Harris’ Blue Wall

“Elections should be an opportunity for all voters to be heard, no matter who they are, where they live or what party they support,” McDonnell said in a statement released by his office. “I took the time to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides of the issue. After a deep analysis, it is clear to me that at this moment, 43 days after the election day, it is not the time to make this change”.

Nebraska Republicans dominate state politics, including its officially nonpartisan, unicameral legislature. The Nebraska Examiner reported that without McDonnell, Republicans have “no recourse” unless a Democratic or nonpartisan lawmaker changes his mind.

Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, has vowed to call a special session of the legislature only if public commitments from at least 33 senators are needed to overcome a filibuster. If McDonnell changed his mind, Trump’s allies hoped other senators on the fence would follow suit.

Instead, McDonnell, who is believed to harbor ambitions to run for Omaha mayor, said he would support taking the issue to Nebraska voters through a constitutional amendment in the upcoming election.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Over the summer, one of his campaign managers said he continued to push to change the Nebraska law.

“Look at what’s happening in Omaha,” Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita told Politico on the sidelines of the GOP national convention. – It’s not over yet.

Harris’ easiest path to the White House only works with the status quo.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states that award a portion of their electoral college votes by congressional district. In 2020, President Joe Biden carried the Omaha-area 2nd District and his only vote in the Electoral College. Republicans are concerned that the district, represented by a Republican in Congress, Rep. Don Bacon, is slipping away from them.

Harris and Trump are headed for an extremely close election. If she votes in the Omaha area, she could win by keeping Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — the so-called “Blue Wall” states. In this scenario, Harris could lose the other four swing states, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and still win the Electoral College 270 to 268. Without the Omaha vote, the same scenario would result in a 269 at 269. tied, throwing off the US House of Representatives election that would almost certainly result in a Trump victory.

Before Biden dropped out of the race, the Blue Wall and the so-called “Blue Dot” in Nebraska was considered his only path to re-election. Harris has made Democrats more competitive in states like North Carolina and Nevada, but polls in those and other swing states show very little separating the two major candidates.