Political Punch
With recent polls showing Obama and presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney neck-and-neck, the Obama campaign isn't taking any chances, even sending money and staff to the reliably red state Nebraska.
Why Nebraska? Wouldn't that just be wasting money? After all, the state has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since the Lyndon B. Johnson landslide of 1964.
Well, not exactly. A sliver of Nebraska actually voted for Obama in 2008, and that's why the Obama campaign is zeroing in on Omaha, because Nebraska is one of two states -- the other is Maine -- that awards electoral votes according to congressional district.
In 2008 winning one district was enough to garner one of Nebraska's five electoral college votes.
"President Obama won the second congressional district in Omaha by about 3,400 votes," said Vic Covalt, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
Covalt says that district -- and hence that one electoral college vote -- is winnable for Obama this time around, too. It's a vote that could tip the scales for the president, because a 269-269 electoral vote split is not as unlikely as you might think.
"It's mathematically possible that that'd be the deciding vote," said Covalt.
We break down the math for you in this week's Political Punch.
And as for Obama's presumptive competition, current front runner Mitt Romney?
"I haven't seen a sign of him," said Covalt, "I don't think he knows we exist."