After 40 Years As A Democrat…

After forty years as a Democrat, a state senator from Nebraska decided to jump party lines and become a Republican.

State Senator Mike McDonnell declared on Wednesday that he is changing political parties, citing his opposition to abortion as a contributing reason. The congressman said that the state party’s governing committee censured him and the county party lost its support because of his religious convictions regarding the sanctity of life, which led Democrats to “punish” him.

The senator declared on Wednesday that he will now register as a Republican in the state of Nebraska.

At a news conference on Wednesday, the former union leader and fireman, who has been a Democrat since 1984, announced his declaration.

“I requested that the Douglas County Democratic Party honor my pro-life stance and my membership in the Roman Catholic Church. And it is the foundation of my convictions,” McDonnell stated. “Democrats in Douglas County chose to penalize it rather than honor it.”

He went on, “They said you cannot be a delegate, you cannot participate, and we would not share our party resources. I still cast pro-life ballots. The Democratic Party of the State chose to condemn me. I still cast pro-life ballots.”

The Nebraska Democratic Party refuted McDonnell’s assertion after censureing him in March.

The Democratic Party of Nebraska will never back down from defending the rights of the LGBTQ community and the freedom of reproduction. According to Newsweek, NDP head Jane Kleeb stated in a statement on Wednesday that “our decision to condemn Sen. McDonnell was never about him being a pro-life Catholic.”

“We made this choice because our party has reaffirmed its key beliefs, which include protecting women’s autonomy over health care decisions and preventing politicians from interfering with individual health decisions.” She said, “We appreciate Senator McDonnell’s continued efforts on behalf of unions and his dedication to upholding our state’s equitable electoral vote system.

“McDonnell’s move gives the GOP 33 members in a one-house legislature, according to Douglas County election officials.” In a 49-member body where a filibuster requires 33 votes to end, that is a considerable amount. After that, Democrats would control 15 seats plus one for a progressive registered nonpartisan, according to the Nebraska Examiner. Officially impartial, the Legislature frequently divides along lines other than those of political parties. Senators, however, typically vote along party lines on contentious matters.

The move also calls into question any efforts to distribute Nebraska’s Electoral College votes in a winner-take-all manner. Currently, the only states that permit the division of electoral votes by congressional district are Maine and Nebraska.

McDonnell declared that, regardless of his party switch, he opposes winner-take-all strategies.

“I oppose the winner-take-all scenario. That question has not come up for me before. I was rather certain of my viewpoint years ago.