Key senator downplays talk of Nebraska redistricting

A key state senator is pushing back against talk that Nebraska could be among the states to redraw its congressional districts before the next election.

Republican members of the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature have been invited by the White House to a meeting Tuesday to discuss how to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. While the invitation does not specifically mention redistricting, the news site Axios claimed the meeting will give Trump political aides a chance to discuss the subject.

Texas has already redistricted, and other states are considering it, in an effort to increase Republican chances to hold onto a House majority. Meanwhile, Democratic states like California are considering counterproposals to offset any Republican gains.

Nebraska state Sen. Merv Riepe, a Republican, said Monday he’s not in favor of redistricting now.

“I'm not a big fan of changing the rules in the middle of the game… Once the rules are established, you play to the end, and that would, to me, probably be when the next time, logically redistricting, and that would be after the next census,” he said.

Riepe, along with Sen. Dave Wordekemper, another Republican, opposed returning Nebraska to winner-take-all Electoral College voting this spring. It would have taken 33 votes to overcome a filibuster, and the attempt received only 31. As for redistricting, Axios quoted Republican Congressman Mike Flood saying “I wouldn’t imagine the votes would be that dissimilar…We just simply didn’t have 33 votes.”

The issues are related because the Omaha-area Second Congressional District is closely divided between Republicans and Democrats. The district has given its Electoral College votes to Democrats in three of the last five elections, but is represented in Congress by Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican. However, Bacon is retiring, creating the possibility of the Democrats picking up the open seat. Chances of that happening would be reduced if the Legislature redrew the district lines so they would include more Republicans and fewer Democrats.

Riepe and Wordekemper said they would not be attending the meeting in Washington, and responses from other officials indicated other Republicans would be absent as well.

The office of Speaker of the Legislature John Arch, a Republican, said he was aware of the meeting, but would remain in Nebraska.

Sen. Loren Lippincott, a Republican who led this year’s winner-take-all effort, said he had “ZERO information” about the DC visit.

The office of Sen. Ben Hansen, the Republican chairmen of the Legislature’s internal governing Executive Board, said he is in Washington, but they were not sure if he would be attending the meeting.

The office of Sen. Rita Sanders, the Republican chair of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said she had become aware of the invitation last week, but is in Israel and unable to attend.

Mary Jane Truemper, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party, said she has not been included in any discussions regarding redistricting or other topics potentially being discussed.

Sen. George Dungan and the office of Sen. John Cavanaugh, both Democrats, said they had not been invited.

Reporter Brian Beach contributed to this story.