Biden's 1 electoral vote from Nebraska district could prove pivotal to his White House bid

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On Election Night, Omaha, Neb., became “Jomaha” as Democratic nominee Joe Biden won a single electoral vote from the state’s 2nd Congressional District.

But that lone electoral vote could prove consequential toward Biden reaching 270, the number of total electoral votes required to win the presidency.

Nebraska’s 2nd District is moderate but leans much more Democratic than the rest of the state, which went for President Trump handily, according to The New York Times. The district includes Omaha and its immediate suburbs and is one of only three districts in the state. 

Former President Obama last won the 2nd district's electoral vote for Democrats in 2008 and state Democrats say the area has been trending bluer ever since.

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A Joe Biden presidential campaign sign greets passersby in a leafy neighborhood of Omaha, Neb., Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (Associated Press)

“This has been building for a while,” Paul Landow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, told The Times.

Jane Kleeb, Nebraska Democratic Party chairwoman, celebrated Biden's win on Twitter, dubbing Omaha “Jomaha.” She also touted that Trump’s statewide lead was smaller than it was in 2016.

Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas, who won reelection in the 7th District, said the 2nd District has voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past but “with Biden, they saw somebody who cares more about everybody. People are choosing the person over the politics.”

Omaha’s demographics have also been trending left, with a growing Latino and younger minority population.

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Nebraska is like Maine in that both states allocate their electoral votes by congressional district rather than statewide.

Trump, crucially, was also declared the winner in Maine’s conservative 2nd Congressional District.

Biden as of 10 p.m. ET Wednesday had 264 electoral votes to Trump's 214, with both candidates aiming for 270 votes to seal a victory.

Ballot counting continued in several states, but if Biden holds a slim lead in Nevada, that state’s six electoral votes would give him 270.

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The presidential races in Pennsylvania and Georgia were also narrowing – although Trump led in both as of 10 p.m. ET Wednesday. But they seemed to be trending Biden’s way as the mail-in vote was counted, meaning Biden also has a chance to pick up one or both of those states.