Nebraska party leaders, others debate winner-take-all effort

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Nebraska Republicans have kicked off the push to change the state's electoral process to a winner-take-all system.

They even got a boost from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's visit earlier this week.

Nebraska GOP political director Todd Watson said the winner-take-all model keeps outside money from influencing Nebraska politics in favor of leftist policies.

"Most of the Democratic money is from the east and west coast to run this state to get what they want out of this state," Watson said.

Nebraska Democrats believe this Republican-led effort is out of fear that Donald Trump's presidential campaign is losing steam, and that switching to winner-take-all would prevent Congressional District 2 from swinging in favor of Kamala Harris in a close election.

"They're coming in and trying to change the rules at the last minute," said Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb. "That means to us that they're obviously losing ground, and they're desperate. What they should be doing is knocking doors, opening campaign offices, visiting with voters."

Watson acknowledged Republicans want Trump to win the election, but said their winner-take-all effort is part of a long-term plan.

"It's really in response to what the Democrats did, playing power politics back in the '90s to change it in the first place for their influence," he said. "So it was just a response to get us back to how the rest of the country operates."

Kleeb said the current system works in favor of the voters.

"It really forces candidates to compete for people's votes, and to spend money in their districts, and to help down-ballot candidates," she said.

If there is a special session, the Nebraska Legislature would need to have 33 votes to break a looming filibuster.

On Wednesday, state Sen. Tom Brewer estimated they had 30 or 31, according to a Nebraska Examiner report.

If the electoral switch does happen, what kind of impact would it have on the voter?

Jason Brown is the co-founder of Blue Dot Nebraska , which has been working to highlight how Democrat votes could swing Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. He believes, unlike in a winner-take-all system, voters feel like their voices count more if they can flip a district.

"We get to actually say, 'Hey, our voice was on the ballot and it was heard.'"

Republican Rep. Don Bacon said he agrees the ability to split votes is more Democratic, but he doesn't believe it should be with only two states doing it.

"New York always goes 100 percent Democrat with their Electoral College," Bacon said. "But yet, everywhere out of New York City, they pretty much vote Republican. Out in California, you have seven or eight Republican districts, and it's winner-take-all there."