Who Is Mike McDonnell?

My VIP for this week is Mike McDonnell, Nebraska state senator. McDonnell is transitioning from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party after being a Democrat for 40 years. S. A. McCarthy at The Daily Signal reported the following: 

In a written statement explaining his decision, McDonnell wrote: “I have asked the Democratic Party to respect my religious based pro-life position. Instead over the last year they have decided to punish me for being pro-life.”

Last month, the Nebraska Democratic Party voted to censure McDonnell, a Catholic, over his pro-life record, contending that his stance “adversely affected the reproductive rights of Nebraskans and the rights of transgender individuals in the state.”

Douglas County Democrats also voted in January to deny party funding to McDonnell due to his votes against abortion measures and against gender-transitioning procedures for minors.

“The state Democratic Party voted to censure me because I am pro-life,” McDonnell wrote.

“Being a Christian, a member of the Roman Catholic Church and pro-life is more important to me than being a registered Democrat. Today I am changing my party affiliation to Republican.”