Senate Security and Governmental Affairs Committee member Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., adjusts her eyeglasses during a hearing on 2020 census on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The Arizona Democratic Party voted Saturday to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after she refused to change or eliminate the Senate filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
Sinema has said she supported voting rights legislation but joined Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, as well as all Republicans, in opposing a one-time rule change to pass the bill with a simple majority. The filibuster effectively allows the party who isn’t in power to kill any legislation in the Senate. With 50 Democratic and 50 Republican senators, it makes passing any notable legislation borderline impossible.
The censuring of Simena is mostly symbolic. It acts as a way for Democrats in Arizona to publicly reprimand the senator for obstructing President Biden’s agenda.
“Any reservoir of goodwill that she had is gone,” said US Rep. Ruben Gallego. Gallego could pose as a potential primary challenger for Simena’s seat in the Senate in 2024. He said several Democrats in the Senate have urged him to run against her, according to reports from CNN.
The state party tolerates disagreements, but safeguarding voter rights is too important, said Raquel Terán, a state senator who is the party chair. On that issue, Sinema has “fallen short,” she said.
Looking for the latest Arizona news? Sign up for our FREE daily newsletter.
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Arizonans and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Copper Courier has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Arizona families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
He said what? 10 things to know about RFK Jr.
The Kennedy family has long been considered “Democratic royalty.” But Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—son of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated while...
Here’s everything you need to know about this month’s Mercury retrograde
Does everything in your life feel a little more chaotic than usual? Or do you feel like misunderstandings are cropping up more frequently than they...
Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its officials are going on offense
Republican Richer and Democrat Fontes are taking more aggressive steps than ever to rebuild trust with voters, knock down disinformation, and...
George Santos’ former treasurer running attack ads in Arizona with Dem-sounding PAC name
An unregistered, Republican-run political action committee from Texas with a deceptively Democratic name and ties to disgraced US Rep. George Santos...
