Kamala Harris may have locked down her first electoral vote this week
Private Democratic polling played a role in a key Nebraska legislator rebuffing Trump's push to change state law to benefit himself.
The war for the first battleground electoral vote may have been decided this week before a single ballot was cast. The weapons of choice: private polls. The likely winner: Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a wild election season that has featured Democrats substituting Harris for President Joe Biden at the top of their ticket — and Republican Donald Trump surviving two assassination attempts while trying to become the first former president in modern history to avenge a loss — the story of Nebraska's Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District is one of the most compelling subplots.
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Party operatives and political analysts are fascinated with the district because it is highly competitive turf in one of just two states — Maine is the other — that award an elector to the candidate who wins the most votes in each congressional district. With recent presidential elections turning on tens of thousands of votes spread across a few states, there are scenarios in which Nebraska's 2nd District could determine who wins the Electoral College and the presidency.
That's why Trump made a full-court press to get Nebraska to change its law to give all of the electors to the statewide winner — he took 58.5% statewide in 2020. But his effort came up short this week when GOP state Sen. Mike McDonnell — a former Democrat — said he would not back the plan.
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