In a bid to alter how Nebraska awards its electoral votes and potentially hinder Vice President Kamala Harris' path to the White House, former President Donald Trump engaged in a last-minute lobbying effort. Nebraska State Senator Merv Riepe (R) disclosed that Trump had a brief phone conversation with him this week, alongside Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen (R), during a visit from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The effort aimed to shift Nebraska's electoral vote allocation toward a statewide winner-take-all system, potentially impacting Harris's chance of securing a crucial electoral vote from the Omaha area, propelling her closer to victory.

Nebraska currently assigns some of its electoral votes by congressional district, which could offer Democrats an opportunity to clinch a vote from the Omaha region despite the state's predominantly Republican stance. The proposed change to a winner-takes-all model is backed by Trump, Pillen, Nebraska's U.S. senators, congressmen, and a majority of the unicameral legislature. However, garnering the necessary supermajority of 33 Republican state senators to pass the adjustment before the upcoming November election has proven challenging following lawmakers' previous rejection of the proposal in April.

During a luncheon meeting with Graham, Pillen, and around two dozen state senators to deliberate on the potential shift, Senator Riepe revealed that a key holdout in supporting the modification is Senator Mike McDonnell, who transitioned from the Democratic to the Republican Party earlier this year. Senator McDonnell has resisted endorsing a winner-take-all system, reflecting the internal divisions among legislators regarding the proposed electoral vote adjustment. Notably, any amendments to Nebraska's electoral vote system could have substantial implications on the outcome of the presidential election, potentially leading to a 269-269 tie in the electoral college and requiring intervention by the House of Representatives.