Vice President Harris is projected to win Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, in the third time ever that Nebraska has split its electoral votes, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Nebraska is one of two states that does not use a winner-take-all system for awarding its electoral votes. Instead, three electoral votes are awarded based on each candidates’ performance in each of the congressional districts, and the state awards two additional electoral votes to whichever candidate outright wins the state’s popular vote.
Maine awards its electoral votes similarly, offering four votes in total.
Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District went for President Biden in 2020 by more than 6 points and is known as the “blue dot” in otherwise red Nebraska.
There have been several instances where Nebraska split its electoral votes, including in 2008 and 2020, when former President Obama and President Biden, respectively, won the state’s 2nd district.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District has served as a counter to the Nebraska seat for Republicans given it leans slightly more Republican. Trump won the district in 2020 by 6 points.
Trump and Nebraska Republicans have sought to change Nebraska to a winner-take-all system in an effort to block Democrats from nabbing an electoral vote in the 2nd Congressional District, though those efforts have been unsuccessful.
Had Republicans’ latest last-ditch effort in September been successful, it would have been a major win for the GOP given Maine wouldn’t have likely been able to change their electoral system in time in response.
