January 1, Kyrsten Sinema Censured For Not Voting in Line with Democratic Party

The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) moved to formally rebuke Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) over her opposition to change the filibuster. Sinema’s holdout, along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and all Senate Republicans, prevented Democrats from advancing major voting legislation.

ADP Chair Raquel Terán said the executive board voted to censure Sinema because the “ramifications of failing to pass federal legislation that protects [constituents’] right to vote are too large and far-reaching.”

“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,” she added.

A censure is a symbolic punishment, as it has no practical effect.

Sinema has publicly supported the voting rights bills and voted for them earlier this month, but she has long opposed eliminating the filibuster. She said changing the filibuster would “would deepen our divisions and risk repeated radical reversals in federal policy, cementing uncertainty and further eroding confidence in our government.”

Not all Arizona Democrats agree with Sinema’s formal rebuking, namely one Sen. Mark Kelly.

“Senator Kelly does not support the censure. While they came to different decisions on this vote, he looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Sinema on Arizona priorities, as they have done during his first year in the Senate,” a spokesperson for Kelly said in a statement.

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Arizona Democrats have censured Kyrsten Sinema over her pro-filibuster vote