OMAHA, Neb. — Former President Donald Trump won Nebraska. But for the second straight election, he lost one of the state’s five Electoral College votes from the Omaha area.

Vice President Kamala Harris beat Trump soundly Tuesday in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, 54%-45% as of 11:30 p.m. Central. The district includes all of Douglas and Saunders Counties and parts of suburban Sarpy County.

That matters in this largely red state because Nebraska and Maine award a single electoral vote to the winner of the presidential popular vote in each congressional district.

Both states also provide two electoral votes to the statewide winner, votes toward the 270 needed to win. That left the presidential tally from Nebraska at Trump 4, Harris 1.

But as many political observers told Nebraskans throughout the campaign, that single vote could prove pivotal as results come in from other states, particularly if the race is close.

Democrats and Republicans split the past four presidential elections in the 2nd District, with Democrats winning the district in 2020 and 2008 and Republicans winning it in 2016 and 2012.

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said Nebraskans had sent a message that “when it comes to our freedoms, our families, and our future, we are not going to sit by and let others define us.”

“Voters in the Blue Dot spoke loud and clear to choose a brighter, more hopeful future, and we are proud to be a small but mighty piece of sending Kamala Harris and our Nebraska native Tim Walz to the White House,” Kleeb said.

Harris broke the logjam this year with a relentless pace of spending and staff time in the district that the Trump campaign did not match. Harris and her allies outspent Trump and his supporters on ads by millions.

The Harris campaign funded a dozen campaign staffers in the district, versus roughly four for Trump. By contrast, Trump spent more here in 2016, when he won the 2nd District over Hillary Clinton. He also spent more here in 2020 when he lost it to President Joe Biden.

Harris sent more campaign surrogates to the district than Trump and sent her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to Nebraska to host two major rallies. Walz’s wife, Gwen Walz, also hosted a rally here.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, visited the 2nd District for a fundraiser and a brief stop-in with grassroots Republicans at a sports bar.

Trump’s largest campaign rally in the 2nd District involved former third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. They filled a hotel ballroom with Trump supporters.

Trump’s team spent much of the spring and summer urging Nebraska lawmakers to change state law and award all of its electoral votes to the statewide winner, so-called “winner-take-all.”

Gov. Jim Pillen was prepared to call a special legislative session to do so but could not secure the needed 33 votes to overcome a promised filibuster.

Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1 statewide in Nebraska. Nonpartisans and third-party registrants make up about a fourth of the state’s registered electorate.

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A man was arrested after yelling obscenities, making vulgar remarks and interfering with operations at a Rhode Island polling place during Tuesday’s election.

Coventry police said they responded to Maple Root Baptist Church, a registered polling location in Coventry, around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a man causing a disturbance involving voters and political supporters.

Responding officers spoke with election officials and witnesses, as well as the man who had caused the disturbance, about what had occurred. Their investigation determined that the man had been confrontational with voters, political supporters and election staff, yelling obscenities and vulgar remarks and interfering with polling operations.

The man allegedly continued this behavior even after police had arrived at the scene.

The man, identified as 33-year-old Timothy Masse, of Coventry, was arrested for disorderly conduct, police said. He was taken to the Coventry Police Department, where he was processed and awaits arraignment before a bail commissioner.

Two men are facing federal charges for their alleged roles in “grandparent scams” in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, according to the Warwick Police Department.

Jason Rhodes, 34, of Flushing, New York, and Robert Munoz, 29, of Miami, Florida, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

The two were released on unsecured bond and GPS monitoring after appearing before a federal magistrate judge on Friday.

Rhodes and Munoz were allegedly operating as couriers and collected approximately $230,000 from unsuspecting seniors.

ELDERLY RHODE ISLAND RESIDENTS CHEATED OUT OF OVER $300K COMBINED IN SCAM, 3 SENT TO PRISON

They were arrested back in March when a victim reported to Warwick police that they had been scammed, which police were able to identify as an ongoing scheme.

The scams often target grandparents or the elderly via phone calls claiming that a loved one needs bail money because they have been arrested. The courier will then attempt to collect the money posing as another family member or attorney. 

Warwick police night detectives worked with Special Operations Group, Financial Crimes and Criminal Investigations units, as well as the victims, to set up an operation to capture Rhodes as he was arriving at a victim’s residence to collect the victim’s money. It was then that they recognized him from a similar scam that had been reported in Rhode Island.

Detectives were able to take Rhodes into custody following a short foot pursuit. Munoz, who was the alleged getaway driver, was also arrested.

ELDERLY AMERICANS SCAMMED OUT OF MILLIONS BY FOREIGNERS POSING AS GRANDCHILDREN IN TROUBLE

A warrant was then issued for a hotel room in Munoz’s name where the detectives seized evidence connecting the two to other “grandparent scams,” $60,000 in cash and other items.

The Warwick Police Department urges anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scam or a similar one to contact their respective police department.

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If you or someone you know is aged 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).