Because of these votes, the Democratic Party of Douglas County withdrew its support for McDonnell and stripped him of his voting rights on internal matters within the county party. He later faced a censure from the Democratic Party of Nebraska.
“I asked the Democratic Party of Douglas County to respect that I’m pro-life — that I’m a member of the Roman Catholic Church and my beliefs are based on that,” McDonnell said in the news conference. “Douglas County Democrats, instead of respecting it, they decided to punish it.”
McDonnell said he ran for office as a “pro-life, pro-union, pro-Second Amendment” Democrat who “wanted to see how we could grow our state and reduce our property taxes at the same time.”
Switching parties, McDonnell added, “is not an easy decision,” recalling that his grandfather told him when he was 10 years old that their family was three things: “We’re Irish, we’re Catholic, and we’re Democrats.”
“It’s never easy for someone to make this kind of decision, but what makes it easier is the people standing behind me,” McDonnell said while surrounded by Republican lawmakers during the announcement. “Over the last year, regardless of my decision switching parties, they have been so supportive.”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb responded to the announcement with a statement that said the Democratic Party will continue to support “reproductive freedom and the human rights of the LGBTQ community.”
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