CNN’s Inside Politics was in a panic on Thursday over the “entirely possible” scenario that President Biden’s reelection (and thus the fate of America, the world, the known universe, the multiverse, and humanity’s re-admittance into Eden) hinged on one electoral vote in Nebraska. Meanwhile, the state’s proposed shift to a winner-take-all system for electoral college votes would put it in line with 48 other states, or 96 percent of states.
“Now, imagine this: a 269 to 269 tie in the electoral college that could become much more likely if Nebraska changes how it awards electoral votes. This week, Donald Trump and his allies are pressuring state lawmakers to do just that,” host Dana Bash fretted, trying to stoke fear in viewers.
Breaking down why she was so paranoid, Bash explained that Nebraska and Maine were the only two states in the union that proportioned electoral college votes based on congressional districts. “Switching to a winner-take-all system could strip Biden of an electoral vote that he won in 2020. And this election could very well come down to that single electoral college vote,” she said, betraying that her fear was a victory for former President Trump.
CNN national political reporter Daniel Strauss tried to talk Bash off the ledge by noting that advocates for the switch were struggling with a number of procedural hurdles (Click “expand”):
Just that this is a big hurdle for advocates of changing the way Nebraska allocates delegates are trying to overcome. And part of it is just the very fact that this is how they've done it in Nebraska for a while now.
It's very apparent to Democrats that there is a scenario where this election is super close and it comes down to how Nebraska allocates votes. And they obviously don't want to give an advantage to Donald Trump, that would swing the election against them. At the same time though, this bill is just running into all kinds of legislative and very technical hurdles, including that it wasn't blessed with a priority cert label that in the Nebraska legislature is acquired at this point in their cycle for moving a bill forward.
“This is really important because Democrats and Republicans have been saying throughout this cycle, ‘This can be a very close election.’ It really could come down to just a few electoral votes,” he added.
Insisting it was “not out of the realm of possibility at all,” Bash put up a couple of electoral maps to spook viewers about a 269-269 split:
If Joe Biden wins, that Nebraska vote, that one electoral vote and he wins back again, wins the so-called blue wall, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, you have 270 to 268, so he wins the presidency. Now, let's see this scenario where that Nebraska law is changed. 269 to 269, an electoral college tie.
Seemingly unfamiliar with the constitutional rules about an electoral college tie, Strauss lamented that such a situation “goes to a whole different arena and it puts us into a morass that we don't usually experience in electoral and campaign politics. Uh, that's why -- And this is entirely possible.”
What they seemingly didn’t want to disclose to viewers was that in the event of a tie, House delegations vote to elect the president. And according to 270ToWin, “Republicans hold a 26-22 edge in House delegations.”
“We've seen in the past few election cycles at the blue wall is breachable and that states that are usually Republican-leaning can be flipped: Arizona and Georgia,” Strauss added. “So, it really could come down to a few electoral votes. And it could come down to one congressional district in Nebraska.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Inside Politics
April 4, 2024
12:44:19 p.m. EasternDANA BASH: Now, imagine this: a 269 to 269 tie in the electoral college that could become much more likely if Nebraska changes how it awards electoral votes. This week, Donald Trump and his allies are pressuring state lawmakers to do just that.
Right now, it is one of two states that awards some of its electoral votes by congressional district. The other is the state of Maine. Switching to a winner take all system could strip Biden of an electoral vote that he won in 2020. And this election could very well come down to that single electoral college vote.
CNN's Daniel Strauss is digging into this. Daniel, what are you learning?
DANIEL STRAUSS: Just that this is a big hurdle for advocates of changing the way Nebraska allocates delegates are trying to overcome. And part of it is just the very fact that this is how they've done it in Nebraska for a while now.
It's very apparent to Democrats that there is a scenario where this election is super close and it comes down to how Nebraska allocates votes. And they obviously don't want to give an advantage to Donald Trump, that would swing the election against them. At the same time though, this bill is just running into all kinds of legislative and very technical hurdles, including that it wasn't blessed with a priority cert label that in the Nebraska legislature is acquired at this point in their cycle for moving a bill forward.
Look, Dana, though. This is -- This is really important because Democrats and Republicans have been saying throughout this cycle, “this can be a very close election.” It really could come down to just a few electoral votes, a few thousand votes in states that otherwise really aren't – haven't been attended to by either the big campaigns.
BASH: Let's give our viewers a scenario here that is, again, not out of the realm of possibility at all. If Joe Biden wins, that Nebraska vote, that one electoral vote and he wins back again, wins the so-called blue wall, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, you have 270 to 268, so he wins the presidency.
Now, let's see this scenario where that Nebraska law is changed. 269 to 269, an electoral college tie.
STRAUSS: Right. Which goes to a whole different arena and it puts us into a morass that we don't usually experience in electoral and campaign politics. Uh, that's why -- And this is entirely possible. We've seen in the past few election cycles at the blue wall is breachable and that states that are usually Republican leaning can be flipped: Arizona and Georgia. So, it really could come down to a few electoral votes. And it could come down to one congressional district in Nebraska.
BASH: Absolute – Absolutely fascinating. And we are gonna be watching to see what the Nebraska legislature does. Thanks so much for bringing this to us. Appreciate it.
