The Electoral Map

The Intersection of Politics and Geography

Would Obama Contest Nebraska?

May 14th, 2008 · No Comments

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 neighborhoods,” 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 Congressional Districts

Nebraska 1st Congressional District

Nebraska 1st Congressional District

Nebraska 2nd Congressional District

Nebraska 2nd Congressional District

Tags: Barack Obama · Nebraska

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