Vice President Kamala Harris ’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), will campaign in Nebraska ’s 2nd Congressional District this week in an effort to court the swing district that sided with the Democratic ticket in 2020.
Nebraska’s unique electoral system awards two electoral votes to the state’s popular vote winner, and each delegate after that is awarded to the winner in each congressional district. Some election projection models view this single district as a deciding factor in the 2024 general election.
If Harris is able to win over the three “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and former President Donald Trump wins Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, the race could wind up being a 269-269 tie, in which the election would be thrown to the House of Representatives. Nebraska’s single electoral vote, however, could change that, if no other states have differing results.
In two of the last four general elections, this district, which includes Omaha and its suburbs, has split from the state’s popular vote. In 2008, the district voted for former President Barack Obama, marking the first time the district voted differently than the rest of the state, and in 2020, it awarded President Joe Biden its single electoral vote.
Walz, a native of Nebraska prior to moving to Minnesota in his adult life, will try to shore up Democratic support during his visit as he and Harris hope to keep the district blue. He will visit the area on Saturday.
This election, local residents have put up a unique yard sign to indicate their support for the Harris-Walz ticket: a blue dot. The blue dot not only symbolizes support for the Democratic ticket but highlights the district’s small but important influence in a general election.
Local resident Jason Brown and his wife, Ruth, first thought of the idea over the summer and started spray painting yard signs with a blue dot, according to CBS News . At first, they included text on the sign supporting Democrats but decided to keep the signs simple without text.
“We had no campaign, no publicity or anything. It was just happening word of mouth,” Jason Brown told the outlet. There are an estimated 10,000 blue dot signs scattered around the district as of last week.
“It’s starting conversations. People are, like, what’s the blue dot?” Ruth Brown told CNN . “That’s the important part, because as soon as you start the conversation, you have a full conversation.”
Republican resident Ellen Ehlers challenged the blue dot, coming up with Republicans’ own red dot with a yellow dash representing Trump’s hair.
"All of a sudden [the blue dots] just were multiplying overnight and we're surrounded as you can see. We thought we'd be brave and put a red dot," Ehlers said.
This weekend, Trump’s campaign hosted Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) at a get-out-the-vote event in west Omaha as Republicans try to flip the district in Trump’s favor, as the 2nd District voted for Trump in 2016. Trump is expected to carry the statewide vote in Nebraska by a wide margin as he won around 58% in both 2016 and 2020. While the Trump signs persist here, his campaign and allies have spent only a few thousand dollars in advertising in the 2nd District.
Trump and his allies including Gov. Jim Pillen (R-NE) recently pushed for the Nebraska legislature to do away with this electoral system in order to avoid a scenario in which this district does, in fact, decide the fate of the November election and gives Harris a win. Trump benefited from this system in Maine , another state that uses Nebraska’s method of awarding electoral votes. A blue state, Trump won a single Electoral College vote in Maine in both 2016 and 2020 despite losing statewide.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Republican efforts in Nebraska, however, fell short after state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Republican, told his GOP colleagues he would not support the push.
“After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change,” McDonnell said.
Local News
