Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met Wednesday with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and about two dozen Republican legislators to discuss how the state allocates its electoral votes, according to a source with direct knowledge of the trip.
Graham, acting on behalf of the Trump campaign, was working to encourage Pillen to call a special legislative session at which lawmakers could consider changing the state’s apportionment of electoral votes, the source said.
Nebraska allocates its electoral votes by congressional district. The swing district around Omaha often goes to Democrats in an otherwise ruby red state.
Wednesday’s meeting, previously reported by KOLN-TV, took place in Lincoln. Graham’s office confirmed the local report but declined to comment further.
If Nebraska were to switch to a winner-take-all system, it would almost certainly give former President Donald Trump an extra electoral vote in what is expected to be a tight presidential race.
That one electoral vote could prove decisive.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin but loses every other swing state, she and Trump would be tied at 269 Electoral College votes under a winner-take-all setup in Nebraska with Trump winning the state. In that scenario, the race would be thrown to the U.S. House, where each state delegation would get one vote for president. Republicans hold a majority of delegations and are favored to retain it, even though the House majority could change hands after the November election.
Pillen, a Republican, was “receptive” to Graham’s overtures Wednesday and indicated that he would call a special session if he thought he had the votes, the source said.
Pillen has previously expressed that sentiment.
“As I have consistently made clear, I strongly support statewide unity and joining 48 other states by awarding all five of our electoral college votes to the presidential candidate who wins the majority of Nebraskans’ votes,” Pillen said in a statement last week. “As I have also made clear, I am willing to convene the Legislature for a special session to fix this 30-year-old problem before the 2024 election.”
He added that he has not yet “received the concrete and public indication that 33 [state] senators would vote” for the winner-take-all system.
Supporters of the legislation have long said they do not yet have enough backing to overcome a procedural hurdle that has previously prevented the bill from passing.
The Trump campaign has not responded to questions about Graham’s role in Nebraska. Pillen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
Trump has publicly pushed for the state to switch to a winner-take-all system, saying this year that it would be “right for Nebraska.”
The effort to move the state to winner-take-all failed earlier this year over procedural issues.
Maine is the only other state that does not have a winner-take-all system for electoral votes. The Democratic state House majority leader has said the state should consider switching to a winner-take-all electoral vote system itself as a counter if Nebraska moves to change its system.
Ben Kamisar and Bridget Bowman contributed.
