Currently, less than 15 elections remain in the homestretch's string of state primaries. Next in line is Nebraska, whose Republican primary is winner-take-all. In a bizarre turn of events, Ted Cruz and John Kasich altered their party's dynamics when they quickly ended their quest to #StopTrump just a week ago. In the hours following Trump's big win in Indiana, the two dropped out of the race altogether, leaving their rival to compete against no one but himself. Though winner-take-all states traditionally hold greater weight for Republicans than states that allocate their delegates proportionally, no one's biting their nails over this one.
Nebraska's Republican primary comes over two months after its Democratic caucus, which was held on March 5 alongside other state elections in Kansas and Louisiana. For Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the race was not particularly close. After winning over 57 percent of the vote, Sanders brought in 15 pledged delegates. Clinton won 5 pledged delegates and was promised the support of 5 superdelegates at the National Convention. With only Trump running in the remaining Republican primaries, the results are already a given. In Nebraska, Trump will score 36 delegates, putting him at 1,104 delegates. From that point on, he will need only 133 more to transform his title from "presumptive" GOP nominee, to official GOP nominee. With 172 Republican delegates, California's primary will inevitably launch his delegate count over that threshold.
Trump may win all of Nebraska's delegates, but that doesn't mean the state's Republicans unanimously support the new face of the GOP, reiterating why it's still important to vote. State representatives are split on the decision and those who choose not to support Trump will either opt out of voting completely, or cross the aisle to endorse Hillary Clinton. The differing viewpoints have even led to feuds between state officials, such as Nebraska Democratic party chairperson Vince Powers and Omaha's Republican Mayor Jean Stothert. Omaha's KETV reported that Powers released a statement asking Stothert to speak out against Trump, who he claims has denounced women.
With Donald Trump's years of offensive remarks about women, Omahans want to know if Jean Stothert will be supporting him for president. Jean Stothert cannot dodge whether she will be publicly standing with someone who calls women "dogs," "fat pigs," and that "they are the only ones to take care of children." Donald Trump's crude remarks about women have no place in our public debates, yet Jean Stothert as the highest elected official in Omaha has yet to publicly denounce them or Trump.
Stothert responded by saying that although Trump isn't her favorite Republican candidate, she will support him. Among party officials, this stance seems to be more popular. Despite the sure-fire outcome, Cornhusker State residents must still vote to give the nation an idea of where they stand in the dispute.
