Newsweek reported last week that Nebraska Republicans were pushing a bill aimed at changing how the state's Electoral College votes are allocated.

However, that legislation subsequently failed to pass, a fact which has prompted a GOP official to step down. 

Second Congressional District chairman resigns

According to the Washington Examiner, Doug Petersen announced this past weekend that he will no longer serve as 2nd Congressional District chairman.

Petersen explained his decision in an email sent to the Examiner on Monday, writing, "On the advice of my legal counsel, I resigned from the CD 2 Chair on Saturday."

"I cannot comment on much other than the NEGOP is in shambles and I can no longer be associated with them," the former Republican official went on to lament.

At issue is the fact that Nebraska is the only state other than Maine to not award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.

This is why President Joe Biden was still able to win one vote there in 2020 despite the state as a whole backing former President Donald Trump.

Plan was backed by governor and Trump

Breitbart reported that Nebraska Republican Gov. Gov. Jim Pillen voiced support for a plan put forward by Republican state Senator Loren Lippincott to bring his state in line with the rest of the country.

"I am a strong supporter of Senator Lippincott's winner-take-all bill (LB 764) and have been from the start," Pillen was quoted as saying in a statement.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk touted it is as well in a post on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Suppose Donald Trump flips Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada next fall, as current polls all show him doing. Would he win the presidency? Not quite. In fact, if Trump flips those three states and no others, he loses by exactly ONE electoral vote.

Why? Nebraska.

Despite being one of…

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 2, 2024

Lippincott's plan also received support from Donald Trump Jr. along with former President Trump himself, who called it "very smart."

Nebraska could be important in this year's election

Yet Nebraska’s unicameral legislature ultimately chose to reject the measure on April 3 despite Republicans holding a majority of its seats.

The Examiner pointed out that Nebraska could play a consequential role in this year's election as some of the states which Trump won in 2020 have since gained Electoral College votes.

Should Trump manage to retake Georgia and Arizona and Biden carry all of the other states he carried four years ago plus a single vote in Nebraska then the two candidates would be tied at 269 votes each.