by Ethan Wolbach, reporter
The 2020 Election has been dubbed “the most important election in history” by President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. For Nebraska voters, the difference between one candidate winning all 5 of the state’s electoral votes or only 1 could mean all the difference.
Republicans have controlled the Nebraska state legislature for several decades. As past presidential elections have shown, this has benefited Republican presidential candidates in securing Nebraska’s 5 electoral votes.
According to CNN, Biden is currently leading in the polls nationwide by 10 percent over President Trump, however, in 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton also lead in national polls heading into Election Day.
A tight battle in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District between incumbent Rep. Don Bacon and democratic challenger Kara Eastman, could be the deciding factor on which presidential candidate secures the states electoral votes.
The winner of the popular vote gets two of Nebraska’s electoral votes, while one is assigned to the winner of each of the state’s three congressional districts. If Eastman were to unseat incumbent Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska could see at least one of its electoral votes go to Biden in 2020. An event that hasn’t happened since 2008, where Nebraska’s second district was won by Obama.
According to opensecrets.org, a center for responsive politics, the Republican Party of Nebraska has spent a record $3,506,450 in an attempt to maintain Nebraska as a red state.
