https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/nebraska-state-senator-switching-from-democrat-to-republican-5621350?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=imctgm01 Nebraska state Sen. Mike McDonnell has announced that he’s switching party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, citing his Christian faith and views on abortion. Mr. McDonnell made the announcement in an April 3 statement to local media outlets, citing the Democrat Party’s opposition to his pro-life stance. “When I ran for reelection in 2020 I was Pro-Life,” he said, adding that he’s Catholic and recalling that in 2016 he ran as a pro-life candidate for Nebraska’s legislative District 5. “I have asked the Democratic Party to respect my religious based Pro-Life position,” he continued. “Instead over the last year they have decided to punish me for being Pro-Life.” The Nebraska Democratic Party issued a statement in response to Mr. McDonnell’s party change, expressing “respect” for his work with the party while denying that the censure vote had anything to do with his pro-life views. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, showed a willingness on April 2 to back legislation that would potentially prevent President Joe Biden from getting one of the state’s electoral votes. He did this by endorsing a statewide “winner-takes-all” system that is likely to boost former President Donald Trump. Unlike every other U.S. state, only Nebraska and Maine assign Electoral College votes by district. A congressional district that centers around Omaha, the largest city in the state, has sometimes gone in favor of Democratic presidential candidates, including in 2020. However, if the state switched to a more standard system, Nebraska’s three electoral votes would likely all go to President Trump as the former president easily won the GOP-dominated state by wide margins in both 2016 and 2020.