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Time To Push Sinema On Voting Rights!

Jan 14, 2022 | PDA News

For voting rights for all,

PDA Arizona Team: Patti, Ken, Jenise, Brianna, Isabel, Phil, Barbara, Eve, Dan, and so many others

 

It’s Time To Push Sinema On Voting Rights! 
Pledge A Donation To A Possible Future Challenger

 

Republican lawmakers and the promoters of racist voter suppression laws across the country are celebrating. Mitch McConnell posted, “Sinema saved the Senate as an institution.”  

Yes, in a major Senate floor speech on Thursday, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema made it perfectly clear that she adamantly stands in opposition to any rule changes to the archaic Senate filibuster, even for voting rights legislation that she purportedly supports.

Her speech, while not surprising to some, still rocked Civil Rights leaders, progressive organizations, and Democratic Party activists who have for months have been putting pressure on the Biden administration to get behind the growing movement to save our democracy and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

An outpouring of righteous anger directed at Sinema essentially sinking voting rights legislation reverberated on social media from D.C. to Arizona. Arizona Democratic Party Chair Raquel Teran released the following statement shortly after the Sinema speech:

Last year the Arizona Democratic Party recognized that we cannot claim to be advocates for civil rights while maintaining the filibuster, which is why we took a strong stance in support of ending the filibuster in order to pass much needed voting rights legislation. This is not a divisive issue, this is about the future of democracy. Without the protection of voting rights, democracy fails. We are disappointed to say the least that Senator Sinema has chosen to protect an antiquated rule over her constituents.

Short of a complete turnaround by Senators Sinema and Joe Manchin, voting rights legislation could be on hold because of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Activists are urging Senator Schumer to still bring filibuster reform to a floor vote, forcing each Democrat to take a stand. As President Biden said in Georgia on Wednesday: “Do you stand with John Lewis or Bull Connor?”

In Arizona PDA activists and others are now organizing for a future primary challenge to Senator Sinema.

Either Senator Sinema votes to end or reform the Jim Crow filibuster or we fund a primary challenge to replace her with someone who will. Pledge a donation to her future challenger hereSinemaPrimaryPledge.com

“She says she supports the voting rights bills but won’t do anything to ensure that they pass. Shame on her, and if Democrats re-elect her in Arizona in 2024, shame on them.” — MSNBC‘s Mehdi Hasan.

PS: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day voting rights rallies and events are set for Phoenix on Saturday and Washington D.C. and across the country on Monday.  Join one near you.

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