Nebraska

Trump allies make another push to change Nebraska's Electoral College law

Published

1 year ago

September 22, 2024

Trump allies make another push to change Nebraska's Electoral College law

A top Donald Trump ally is pressuring Nebraska Republicans to award all of their state’s Electoral College votes to the statewide winner, a late-stage rule change that could potentially help return Trump to the White House.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and both have done so in recent presidential elections. In Nebraska, which is solidly Republican, that means one of the state’s five votes is competitive for Democrats.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met recently with GOP lawmakers in the state to encourage them to make a change supported by the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. The change was discussed earlier this year but lacked the votes to pass. Now, with Trump in an extremely close race against Democrat Kamala Harris where every electoral vote matters, his allies are making another push.

“To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris being president and not, and she’s a disaster for Nebraska and the world,” Graham said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Trump’s allies have been calling on Nebraska Republicans for months to make a switch despite a lack of necessary support in the state legislature. But there’s new urgency to their push with fewer than 50 days until the election and Trump and Harris locked in a tight race across several battlegrounds.

There is a plausible scenario where the election ends up being decided by the voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a swing district in the Omaha area.

This year, if Harris wins the three so-called blue wall battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania while Trump wins the four Sun Belt battlegrounds of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, the result would be a 269-268 split in the Electoral College in favor of Harris.

Nebraska’s 2nd District, which went for President Joe Biden four years ago, could give Harris the decisive 270th electoral vote. Or, if Trump were to win, the election would end in a 269-269 tie. In that scenario, the president would be chosen by the House of Representatives, with each state’s delegation getting a single vote — a scenario that favors the former president.

The five Republicans who represent Nebraska in Congress urged their colleagues in the state to change the law in a letter dated Wednesday, saying “the state should speak with a united voice in presidential elections.”

Any legislative change would require Pillen, the governor, to call lawmakers into a special session. He said in a statement he would “enthusiastically” do so if he gets a “clear and public indication” that there are 33 votes in favor, the minimum necessary to pass in Nebraska’s single legislative chamber.

Nebraska Democrats have started showing support for the state’s electoral vote split with yard signs showing a blue dot on a white background, symbolizing their potential role of the metro Omaha district as an island of blue surrounded by Republican red in the rest of Nebraska.

Republicans currently control 33 seats in the Legislature but they are not united in support. One of those Republicans, state Sen. Mike McDonnell, recently switched parties but still represents a district that includes Democrats who oppose an Electoral College switch.

What to know about the 2024 Election

A McDonnell spokesperson told KETV in Omaha on Thursday that the senator “has heard compelling arguments from both sides, and as of today, remains a ‘no.’”

The system has long confounded Republicans, who have been unable to force the state into a winner-take-all system since Barack Obama became the first presidential contender to shave off one of the state’s five electoral votes in 2008. Biden in 2020 was the only other Democrat to capture Nebraska’s 2nd District electoral vote.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a state senator’s name as Mike McDonnell, not McDonald.

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Nebraska

Former Nebraska City doctor ruled competent to stand trial

Published

10 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Former Nebraska City doctor ruled competent to stand trial

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Medical experts at the Lincoln Regional Center have determined a doctor arrested for two different cases involving minors is now competent to stand trial.

Dr. Travis Tierney, 56, was taken into custody by a fugitive team at the airport last May. He is accused of sneaking into a West Omaha home to have sex with a boy between the ages of 12 and 15.

Travis Tierney(Sarpy County jail)

Investigators allege Tierney did this three weekends in a row in April 2024.

Last summer, Tierney, a former Nebraska City neurosurgeon, was wanted for allegedly swapping nude photos with a 16-year-old boy in Sarpy County. He was out on bond and not supposed to leave the county when investigators realized he was in Arizona.

State psychiatrists have now determined he is competent to stand trial in both cases.

Tierney is currently in custody at the Sarpy County Jail on a $5 million bond.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Extension announces 2026 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Series

Published

22 hours ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Extension announces 2026 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Series

LINCOLN, Neb — Nebraska Extension is inviting feedlot owners, managers, employees, and allied industry professionals to attend the 2026 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Series, set for Feb. 17–19 at three locations across western and central Nebraska. The series will feature research-based discussions on feedlot management, cattle health, nutrition, and market outlooks, offering practical information for participants to apply to their operations. Each roundtable will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a $20 attendance fee payable at the door. Lunch will be provided, and pre-registration is requested for meal planning. The events will take place on Feb. 17 at the Prairie Winds Community Center in Bridgeport, Feb. 18 at the Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center in Gothenburg, and Feb. 19 at the Nielsen Community Center in West Point. Featured presentations include “Maximizing calf gain in the backgrounding phase” by Dr. Jim MacDonald, “Managing cattle health from feedlot arrival to finish” by Dr. Dan Thomson and Dr. Jacob Hagenmaier, “University of Nebraska–Lincoln research highlights” by Dr. Galen Erickson, “New World screwworm: What feedlots need to know” by Dr. Matt Hille, and “Beef cattle market outlook” by Dave Weaber from Terrain (Farm Credit).

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Nebraska

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Emmett Johnson (RB – Nebraska)

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in February. Here’s a look at Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson.

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Emmett Johnson

Emmett Johnson (RB – Emmett Johnson)

5-foot-11 | 200 Pounds

Background

Emmett Johnson was a three-star recruit who redshirted in 2022, then worked his way into the running back rotation over the next two years, finishing with 90-411-2 (4.6) in 2023 and 117-598-1 (5.1) in 2024, also catching 39-286-2 that season. This past season, Johnson took over as the team’s workhorse and put together a huge 251-1,451-12 (5.8) line with 46-370-3 receiving.

Positives

Established himself as the lead back in Nebraska’s balanced rushing attack in 2025. Shows nice flexibility and knee-bend, with a naturally low center of gravity. Bread and butter are one-cut concepts where he can stretch the defense laterally before planting his foot and getting upfield. Has solid speed to outrun defenders to the corner on sweeps, tosses, etc. Makes very clean, crisp cuts as a runner.

Johnson skinnies through congestion, with a good feel for pockets of space. Shifty jitterbug type with impressive suddenness and lateral quickness to make defenders miss in a phone booth; very difficult to tackle one-on-one, and was rarely brought down by the first defender in range. Has a lot of creativity in his game and can salvage something out of nothing at times. Mixes in a lot of different moves, from stutter-steps to jukes to spins to back-jukes, with outstanding stop-start movement skills.

Not the most powerful back, but shows the ability to work through some arm tackles. Good competitiveness and leg drive in short-yardage situations. Ball security has been very solid, with only three career fumbles as a runner, plus one as a receiver. Johnson’s role as a receiver expanded significantly this past year, where he showed reliable hands. Has ideal quickness/creativity to scheme into space against opponents.

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Negatives

On the smaller side for a feature back, with a thinner build than usual. As his size might suggest, Johnson doesn’t bring a ton of power as a runner and isn’t going to consistently push the pile. Rather than burrowing ahead for what he can get, his tendency to escape and bounce runs can compound problems when the blocking isn’t there.

Johnson’s pad level rises on contact. When combined with his competitive finishing, it leads him to take a lot of punishment from opponents. Struggles in pass protection. Doesn’t have the ideal contact balance when taking on opponents in blitz pickup. Might not be the ideal choice to protect the quarterback on third downs, which may limit his usage in the passing game overall.

Summary

A very quick, agile back who makes crisp cuts upfield and shows excellent creativity to make defenders miss in space. His impressive, statement-making 2025 campaign put him on the map.

While Johnson is not a very powerful back and struggles in pass protection, he should be able to contribute as a change-of-pace type at the next level. Looks poised to be among the first handful of backs off the board on draft day.

Projection: Round 4