This just in: Sen. Mike McDonnell has just switched parties from Democrat to Republican.
Citing his pro-life beliefs and Catholic faith as the main reason for the switch, Sen. McDonnell of Nebraska announced today that he will be changing his party registration.
Take a look at the breaking news:
BREAKING— Sen Mike McDonnell says he’s switching to become a Republican because his pro-life views and Catholic faith are ‘more important to me’ than being a Democrat. He was censured recently by @NebraskaDems for opposing abortion rights
— Paul Hammel @paulhammelNE (@PaulHammelNE) April 3, 2024
State Sen. Mike McDonnell switches parties to become a Republican pic.twitter.com/afbomektin
— Andrew Ozaki KETV (@ketvlincoln) April 3, 2024
Mike McDonnell is a leader in the Nebraska Legislature and the President of the Omaha Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
Now, he's a Republican, too. Welcome to the @GOP, Senator! https://t.co/rwVPBeRJMc
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) April 3, 2024
Sen. McDonnell’s party switch has some huge implications for the upcoming election this November.
Now, the Republican majority in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature is filibuster proof, clearing the path to passing legislation that would change the state to a winner-take-all electoral college system — a major blow to Biden’s election chances.
🚨BREAKING: Nebraska's unicameral legislature now has a filibuster proof Republican majority as Sen. Mike McDonnell switches parties from Dem to Rep.
This has massive implications for passing LB764, which would switch Nebraska to a winner-take-all electoral college state and… https://t.co/f1spATMdso
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 3, 2024
Omaha World-Herald reported on the reason why Sen. McDonnell’s decision to switch parties:
McDonnell said in a statement that he is doing so because his anti-abortion views have not been respected by Nebraska Democrats.
“Being a Christian, a member of the Roman Catholic Church and pro-life is more important to me than being a registered Democrat,” McDonnell said.
Prior to his announcement, Sen. McDonnell had been at odds with the Democrat party for quite some time.
In February, Democrats censured him for voting for pro-life and anti-transgender legislation.
The Nebraska Examiner had this to say:
The Douglas County Democratic Party this week soundly rejected the leadership bid by a Democratic state senator who could cast the decisive vote to effectively ban elective abortions in Nebraska.
The county party’s steering group voted 17-3 Wednesday against a push by State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha to join the central committee of the county party that is home to the state’s largest pocket of Democrats.
ADVERTISEMENTSeveral Omaha abortion rights advocates, women, LGBTQ Nebraskans and allies spoke out against McDonnell’s bid during the meeting, including former Omaha City Councilwoman Brenda Council, who said he should know better.
Some said they wanted to express their displeasure with his position on abortion by defeating his bid. They said they hope the vote helps him reconsider his support for and co-sponsorship of new abortion restrictions and anti-trans legislation.
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