Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez was wrong to say that Omaha mayoral candidate Heath Mello must support abortion rights, said Nebraska Democratic chair Jane Kleeb in an interview on Monday.
Appearing on MSNBC, Kleeb was asked by host Steve Kornacki about the ongoing controversy after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) endorsed Mello's candidacy. Mello had previously supported anti-abortion legislation while in the legislature, and the endorsement drew the ire of pro-choice lobbying groups like NARAL Pro-Choice America. Mello told the Huffington Post that, as mayor, he would not block abortion rights.
Nonetheless, Perez issued a statement saying that being pro-choice was "non-negotiable" for members of the Democratic Party. Since then, many Democrats have sounded off on whether or not one can be a Democrat and pro-life, with no clear consistency between party leaders like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), and Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.)
"I think it was a mistake for Tom Perez to say that he disagrees with Heath Mello, which he said in that statement," Kleeb said. "Because [Mello's] position is the same as Joe Biden's, as Tim Kaine's, many other pro-life Democrats. that is, they personally, because of their Catholic faith, or because of other reasons, their personal stories, [are pro-life]."
Kleeb further emphasized that Mello was not out of lockstep with notable public Democrats, including former Vice Presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.).
"Heath shares the same view as Kaine and others that say I'm personally pro-life, I would never restrict women's access to reproductive rights. It is a strong value that Democrats hold. And Heath is no different than any of those Democrats as well," she said.
"I think there is a very clear bright line that the Democratic Party wants to make sure that a woman's right to reproductive rights is protected," Kleeb continued. "That means Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. I also think at the same time there's room for pro-life Democrats to come to the table with very concrete ideas to reduce the amount of abortions."
Expanding Medicaid, reducing barriers to adoption, and supporting Sanders' economic vision are all things that pro-life Democrats can do while remaining in lockstep with the Democratic Party, Kleeb explained.
Kleeb took umbrage with how coastal Democrats were coming down on the Mello issue.
"When people are opposed to Heath Mello, which is what I've seen some kind of coastal liberals doing over the past couple of days, over this issue of choice and pro-life, the divide in the party," Kleeb said. "It is, I think, very troubling because we're doing exactly what Democrats always give speeches about, that they want to expand the electoral map."