The Nebraska Democratic Party censured State Senator Mike McDonnell for his pro-life views and opposition to transgender activist policies.
McDonnell was censured for votes that Democrats said harmed reproductive and transgender rights.
“I am a Christian! I am a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church! I am Pro-Life! The censure of me, from the Nebraska Democratic Party, will not change my Pro-Life vote!” McDonnell stated.
McDonnell, a lifelong Catholic, refused to change his pro-life position.
“I asked the Democratic Party…to respect that I’m pro-life, that I’m a member of the Roman Catholic Church — and my beliefs are based on that,” he said.
“Instead of respecting that, they decided to punish it,” he added. “The state Democratic Party decided to censure me. I continued to vote pro-life.”
In response, he left the Democratic Party and became a Republican. His switch gave Republicans a filibuster-proof majority.
This led some to push for changing Nebraska’s split electoral vote system to a winner-take-all allocation of electoral votes, which could benefit Republicans in future presidential elections.
However, an effort to make this change failed to pass the state legislature.
McDonnell’s actions shed light on the mounting ideological divisions surrounding social issues between Democrats and their base.
