Biden Takes Electoral Vote in 2nd District, Trump Wins Nebraska's 4 Other Votes

Nov. 4, 2020, 12:30 a.m. ·

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President Donald Trump has won four of Nebraska's five electoral votes, while Democrat Joe Biden has won one electoral vote from the state's Second Congressional District.

Nebraska is one of the only two states to split their electoral votes. Trump won two votes based on the statewide popular vote, which he won with 56.9%. Trump also won in the Third Congressional District (76% of the vote) and First Congressional District (52.8% of the vote).

Biden took home 56.4% of the vote in the Second District.

Nebraska is a reliably red state, but Omaha’s 2nd Congressional district is a competitive battleground for a coveted electoral college vote. In 2008, Obama won Omaha's district electoral vote by 3,376 votes.

Gregory Petrow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said the district is a mix of rural conservatives and wealthy western religious suburbs while downtown Omaha is younger and more diverse.

"It's just a mix of all the kinds of populations that you need to have to have a competitive area, and they're all there," Petrow said. "So the district can be a swing district."

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Political Science Professor Kevin Smith said electoral votes for certain states are very clear but as the balance of electoral votes becomes close, it’s the swing states or districts that could break the tie.

"These kind of odd electoral votes could actually be meaningful," Smith said. "I mean, they could theoretically be the difference between winning and losing the White House."

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said in a statement that Biden’s win is a transformative moment for the state.

"Vice President Biden earned the trust of voters across party lines and it is now our job to keep doing the work on the ground — Omaha is now Jomaha,” Kleeb said.

In a statement to the Omaha World-Herald on Oct. 26 Biden said, “My commitment to you is this: As your president, I won’t give up on Nebraska. I’ll finally get this virus under control and protect your health care.”

So far, the role Omaha’s electoral college vote will play in the election outcome is uncertain. With several swing states expected to release results over the coming days, it could take a while to see the true impact.