Trump supporting Nebraska governor seeking to make state elections 'winner-take-all'
Former President Trump is cheering on efforts in Nebraska to change the state electoral system to "winner-take-all."
Nebraska is one of only two states in the U.S. that do not use the winner-take-all system, the other being Maine. The two states assign votes in the Electoral College based on district, sometimes leading to Democrats snagging an extra delegate from the mostly red state.
Gov. Jim Pillen came out in support of a bill introduced by a state senator seeking to align Nebraska's electoral system with the rest of the country.
"I am a strong supporter of Senator [Loren] Lippincott's winner-take-all bill (LB 764) and have been from the start. It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders' intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections," Pillen said in a Tuesday statement.
He added, "I call upon fellow Republicans in the Legislature to pass this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law."
Trump published a copy of the governor's statement to his proprietary social media platform, Truth Social, on the same day.
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This was followed by a separate post voicing support for changing Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.
"Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System," Trump wrote via Truth Social on Tuesday.
"Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do – It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska," Trump added.
A change to winner-take-all would almost certainly benefit Republicans by allowing the red majority of Nebraska to dominate and prevent minority blue factions from capturing a single delegate, as has happened in the past.