Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images
- The Arizona Democratic Party voted to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, one of its own, on Saturday.
- The vote was unanimous.
- Sinema enraged local and national Democrats for voting to uphold the Senate filibuster on Wednesday.
The Arizona Democratic Party unanimously voted to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Saturday in one of the most significant rebukes yet for her vote to uphold the Senate filibuster.
“While we take no pleasure in this announcement, the ADP executive board has decided to formally censure Senator Sinema as a result of her failure to do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our democracy,” the board said in a statement.
The vote took place during an executive board meeting on Saturday, according to Michael Slugocki, vice chair of the Arizona Democrats.
In October, the ADP issued a resolution that urged Sinema to vote with the rest of her colleagues to abolish the Senate filibuster, which allows the minority party to block unfavorable legislation. They had also warned of a possible vote of no confidence should Sinema choose to uphold the filibuster.
The Democrats had hoped to pass two key voting rights bills this month, but with the filibuster in place, the bills faced an impassible Republican blockade. Sinema held firm in her refusal to vote to change Senate rules, arguing that it would increase partisanship in the chamber.
Arizona Democratic Party officials were enraged when she voted along with Republicans on Wednesday to keep the Senate filibuster intact. Their censure indicates growing frustration from state party officials with their sitting senator, and could portend trouble for Sinema as progressives clamor for a progressive to challenge her in a primary in 2024.