That major political shake-up in the Legislature, adding one more Republican to the list of lawmakers is having ripple effects in the race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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By almost all accounts this year’s race for the White House is going to be close, and now one Nebraska vote is being closely watched, it’s one of Nebraska’s five electoral votes.

And it all starts with our initial reporting that State Sen. Mike McDonnell is switching parties, joining the GOP.

His defection from the Democrat column reshaping the Legislature, which with McDonnell, now has 33 Republicans, exactly the number needed to break a filibuster, putting a bill known as “Winner take all” in the bullseye and backed by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.

Here’s why: Right now, Nebraska’s five electoral votes are divided up, two statewide, and one for each Congressional district. A Joe Biden win in Omaha’s 2nd Congressional District would hand Biden that one electoral vote, as it did in 2020.

But going to winner take all, would all but guarantee a Donald Trump a clean sweep of Nebraska’s five electoral votes.

The head of the Nebraska Democratic Party fighting to keep the status quo, arguing, “Nebraskans want to keep our fair electoral system in place which is why previous attempts by some Republicans over the last thirty years have failed to undo our split electoral votes.”

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts urging a winner take all move, noting it would, “Put one more electoral vote in the Republican column for 2024!”

What’s not clear is if and when the winner take all bill, in the final fleeting days of this legislative session, will come up for a vote.