Proposal To Split Pennsylvania's Electoral Votes Causes Republican Party Rift

By Larry Kane

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There may be a change in direction on a politically explosive issue -- the electoral vote in Pennsylvania.

There is a quiet conflict going on, but it is not the usual fight -- Republican vs. Democrat. Republican insiders say that there is a rift between the Republican leadership in the Keystone state about powerful Senate President Dominic Pillegi's plan to enact proportional voting instead of winner take all in Presidential elections.

Pileggi originally proposed counting electoral votes by congressional district but he changed that to proportional voting after a pushback from elected Republicans. Republican governors in Virginia and Florida, along with former VP candidate Paul Ryan have rejected such plans as harmful to the party. Key party sources report that Pileggi may be under pressure to back off the plan by state lawmakers.

If enacted by the last election, it would have given Mitt Romney eight of the state's 20 electoral college votes.

Erik Arnesan, communications and policy director for Pileggi, tells us that this project has never been in the top ten goals of Senator Pillegi but he will hold hearings on it in the spring.