Nebraska is one of two state where Electoral College votes are allocated based on who wins congressional district s(the other is Maine). The candidate who wins each districts get a vote, and whoever wins the state as a whole gets two additional votes. So could Obama make a run at any of these congressional districts and pick off a vote or two?
A SurveyUSA poll released in February found that Obama would eclipse John McCain 44-42% in the 1st District (Lincoln) and the edge McCain 45-43% in the 2nd District (Omaha). Before I interpret these findings, it’s important to note that SurveyUSA isn’t the most well-respected polling outfit out there because of their robo-calling techniques.
But still, the results do indicate that Obama should at least give it a shot. Former popular Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) is a supporter and even Omaha’s favorite billionaire Warren Buffett has praised Obama. On top of that, Obama will lilkey inundate the Omaha media market with ads as he tries to reach western Iowa voters right across the Mississippi River.
So why not make a run at NE-02? Omaha is the largest city on the Great Plains north of Kansas City and west of Minneapolis and has been “quietly booming, with new affluent neighborho
ods,” according to the handy Almanac of American Politics. And NE-01, for its part, is home to the University of Nebraska, which surely has more than a few Obama fans.
Nebraska 1st Congressional District
Nebraska 2nd Congressional District
valdisfox
3 November 2008 at 12:18 am
Why might Obama snatch one of our (NE) electoral votes from McCain? Because, like most of the map, our cities–Lincoln and Omaha–are bluer than the GOP would like to think. A lot. We are NOT entirely red as a state, or GOP as a state, or conservative as a state. We routinely elect Democrats, albeit more conservative ones, to local, state and national office. There’s a chance. Sure, it will not make much difference to the outcome, but to “blue” Nebraskans like myself, the momentum will be savored and not soon forgotten. –Valdis, Lincoln, NE