It's no secret that the Democratic Party continues to move further left. Throughout the 2020 election cycle thus far, it has become apparent that the party's new litmus test is on abortion. In fact, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg told a pro-life Democrat back in January that there was no place for her in their party.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez doubled down on that stance during an interview with Axios.
"You said every Democrat needs to support abortion rights, that it's not negotiable. Your words," Axios' Jonathan Swan asked. "Where does that leave someone like Gov. [John] Bel Edwards in Louisiana, Pro-life? Does he, in your mind, belong in the Democratic Party?"
Perez said that he "respects Gov. Edwards" but he "profounding disagrees with his position" on the issue of abortion.
"It's not only about whether it's about a woman's right to choose. It's about women's economic empowerment," Perez said.
Swan pointed out that the Democrats are continually having infighting about how big their party tent should be as far as "candidate selection goes."
"Gov. Edwards is a prime example. He passed one of the nation's strictest abortion bans last year and he's a Democrat," the reporter said. "In your mind, is there a place in the party for those–"
"And, again, I think what he did in that particular case was wrong," Perez said.
"Should he hand in his Democrat card?" Swan pressed. "It's the words 'non-negotiable' that people have a problem with."
"I disagree with the position he took there and I think I speak for most Democrats in saying that," the DNC chair said with a smile. "And I will continue to say that publicly because I think it's a really important issue."
The reporter brought up the fact that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, one of the leaders of the Catholic Church, previously stated that the Democratic Party used to be the political home for Catholics. Dolan said that's no longer the case because of the Democrats' position on abortion.
Perez stated most Catholics voted for Democrats in the 2016 election, something he believes Dolan might not know. He then went on to cite Matthew 25 as an example of why people vote for the Democratic Party.
"I think one of the reasons why so many people are moving away from Donald Trump is that he's abandoned all of those values," Perez said.
"He said it saddens him because the Democratic Party stands for so much of what Catholicism teaches but this particular area of Catholic doctrine, you're saying is non-negotiable," Swan hit back. "That was his point."
The DNC chair deflected by saying people go to President Donald Trump's rallies and then go to church the next day.
Tom Perez has a lot of nerve. You can't invoke the Bible when it suits you and ignore it when it doesn't. We call that cherry-picking and it's something God would definitely frown upon. You can't tell Catholics to practice and live by their beliefs but to ignore a major part of their views, especially when it comes to an issue as important as protecting the unborn.
The out of touch elitism displayed here from head of the DNC @TomPerez is breathtaking.
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) March 16, 2020
In the same interview he attacks the religious faith of Trump supporters & calls for a pro-abortion litmus test among all Democrats. https://t.co/iO8PumWPqe