OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — Democrats have again fallen just short of an election victory as Heath Mello lost the Omaha mayoral race after a fierce debate within the national party over his anti-abortion views.
His loss Tuesday was a setback for supporters who argued that the Democratic National Committee and abortion rights groups were wrong to attack the anti-abortion former state senator.
It was another near miss for Democrats fighting in typically Republican territory since Donald Trump's presidential election victory. Democrats lost a special election for a House seat in Kansas and narrowly missed an outright win in a special election in Georgia.
Mello, a 37-year-old Catholic from Omaha's working-class south side, had voted for abortion restrictions as a Nebraska state Senator. He lost to incumbent mayor Jean Stothert.
All contents © copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved.