Nebraska State Senator Mike McDonnell has announced his departure from the Democratic Party to join the Republican Party.
After a tenure marked by a firm commitment to his Catholic faith and a pro-life stance, McDonnell cited growing ideological rifts with the Democratic Party as the reason for his decision, the Nebraska Examiner reported.
A congressman from South Omaha, McDonnell has been a staunch Democrat for four decades, having been deeply influenced by his Irish Catholic roots and political lineage.
However, recent actions by the Democratic Party, which included censoring him and limiting his access to party resources due to his pro-life views, prompted his unexpected change.
During a press conference, McDonnell reflected on his political journey and the values that have shaped his beliefs. “I asked the Democratic Party, Douglas County, to respect the fact that I am pro-life, that I am a member of the Roman Catholic Church. My beliefs are based on this. The Douglas County Democrats, instead of respecting him, decided to punish him,” she said, addressing the media and supporters.
CLOCK:
Nebraska State Senator Mike McDonnell just left the Democratic Party and became a Republican. Listen to his powerful explanation of why:
“I asked the Democratic Party to respect my religiously based pro-life position. Instead, in the last year, they decided to punish me for… pic.twitter.com/tnKbdfkAR7
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 4, 2024
McDonnell’s potential candidacy for mayor of Omaha has been the subject of speculation, and despite his party switch, he remains open to the possibility of running. This comes as incumbent Republican Mayor Jean Stothert announced his campaign for a fourth term.
Mayor Stothert welcomed McDonnell to the Republican Party, noting the party’s broad inclusiveness. “As a lifelong Republican, I appreciate that the Republican Party continues to be a big tent that welcomes a broad range of viewpoints,” she said, extending an olive branch to the former adversary with whom she often spoke. clashed over issues relating to firefighters’ unions.
The Nebraska Examiner reported:
McDonnell’s passage, confirmed by Douglas County election officials, gives the GOP 33 members in a single-house Legislature. That’s a significant number in a 49-member body with rules that require 33 votes to overcome a filibuster. Democrats would then get 15 seats, plus one progressive who is a registered nonpartisan.
The legislature is officially nonpartisan and often divides along fault lines other than political party. On contested votes, however, senators tend to vote more often along party lines.
The timing of McDonnell’s change could be important. Gov. Jim Pillen joined former President Donald Trump and his supporters Tuesday in calling for Nebraska to award all of its presidential electoral votes to the state’s winner of the popular vote.
Currently, Nebraska and Maine award a single Electoral College vote to winners of the presidential popular vote in each of the state’s congressional districts. Trump won four of Nebraska’s five votes in 2020. Biden won one vote, in the Omaha-based 2nd District.
McDonnell was asked whether he would support cloture, a procedure for ending debate, on any bill that contains language that would move Nebraska to a winner-takes-all approach in presidential elections, even if it were inserted into the legislation which he supports.
“No, next question,” he said.
When asked to elaborate, he said: “I don’t support the winner-takes-all principle. I have never done this in the past when this question has been raised. Years ago, I had my position quite clear.”