Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 4, 2024 / 16:40 pm
A pro-life Catholic lawmaker in the Nebraska Legislature is switching his party registration from Democrat to Republican because of the Democratic Party’s staunch support of abortion.
Sen. Mike McDonnell, who had been a registered Democrat for 40 years before this week, said in a news conference that his party change was caused by the Democratic Party’s refusal to respect his pro-life views, which he said is grounded in his Catholic faith. He was first elected in 2016.
“Today, I am announcing I am now going to be a registered Republican in the state of Nebraska,” McDonnell said.
While serving in the Legislature, McDonnell was the lone Democrat to support a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in the state — that bill did not pass. He was also the only Democrat to vote for a bill that prohibited doctors from providing transgender drugs and surgeries to minors, which ultimately passed and was signed into law.