Depending on what you think about Colorado and New Mexico this election cycle (or Utah??), there could be as few as two “tossup” states in November outside the Eastern Time Zone. Iowa is one of them, but there’s a not-quite-secret prize hiding just outside the state line.
Nebraska awards its electoral votes by congressional district, and House District 2 is Douglas and Sarpy counties excluding Bellevue. It’s a different configuration than in 2008, when Barack Obama won it, but Hillary Clinton is going to make a play for it.
An appearance in Omaha, of course, means news coverage in Swing State Central.
Republicans have speculated that Clinton’s stand in Omaha is really more about shoring up support in Iowa, a swing state on Nebraska’s eastern border. The Omaha TV market bleeds over into western Iowa, including Council Bluffs, which is just across the river.
If western Iowans have to suffer Nebraska football coverage, Nebraskans have to suffer our political ads. It’s only fair.
I am in favor of allocating electoral votes by congressional district, but I also understand that most states are not as enlightened in their redistricting process as Iowa is, and that probably has to be fixed first.