Dem
47
GOP
53
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that allocate their electoral votes by congressional district. The winner of each district gets 1 EV. The statewide winner gets 2 additional EVs. The Democratic presidential candidate often wins NE-02. On maps, it is a blue dot centered on Omaha. Republicans in the (unicameral) state legislature are champing at the bit to get rid of the split system and go to winner-take-all. This would give the Republicans an extra electoral vote. What's not to like?
Well, first, if Nebraska did it, Maine would, too, canceling out the gain. Second, NE-02 is competitive, so presidential candidates do visit the state. If winner-take-all were instituted, Nebraskans would never see a presidential candidate again. Nevertheless, politicians tend to think short term, so Republicans keep trying to go to winner-take-all. However, the Nebraska legislature is actually the state Senate since it was bicameral until the state House was abolished in the 1930s to save money. Unlike some of the other state Senates, filibusters are allowed and the Democrats filibustered the bill. Two Republican senators broke with their party and the Republicans failed to invoke cloture. Then they gave up and the bill died.
One of the senators who refused to vote for cloture was Merv Riepe of Ralston. His district is roughly half Democrats and half Republicans. He told his party that winner-take-all is a poison pill in his district and if he voted for it, that would be the end of his Senate career. He wasn't prepared to give it up, especially since it wouldn't even help the GOP when Maine also goes to winner-take-all as a response.
The other vote to keep the current system was from Sen. Dave Wordekemper, a freshman lawmaker whose district is partly in NE-02. He also said local sentiment is strongly against changing the law. Republicans have been trying to rub out the blue dot for 35 years, but they keep failing because while they have a majority, they need a supermajority of 33 of the 49 seats to overcome a filibuster, and they have trouble climbing that hill. (V)