Sinema censured by Arizona Democrats over support for filibuster


The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) voted Saturday to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Phoenix's local ABC affiliate reported.
The ADP warned last week that they planned to censure Sinema, who in 2019 became the first Democratic senator from Arizona since 1995, if she refused to support a Senate rule change to circumvent the filibuster and enable President Biden's voting rights bill to pass. Wednesday night, Sinema joined with Senate Republicans to vote against the rule change, effectively killing the bill.
"I want to be clear, the Arizona Democratic Party is a diverse coalition with plenty of room for policy disagreements, however on the matter of the filibuster and the urgency to protect voting rights, we have been crystal clear. In the choice between an archaic legislative norm and protecting Arizonans' right to vote, we choose the latter," ADP Chair Raquel Terán said in a statement released after the vote to censure Sinema.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The motion to censure the moderate Democrat, which passed unanimously, could be indicative of greater troubles still to come.
According to The Associated Press, Sinema is in a much more precarious position than fellow moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who also voted against the rule change, because Manchin represents "a state that former President Donald Trump carried by nearly 39 percentage points in 2020," while in Arizona, "Democrats are ascendant."
The Primary Sinema Project has already raised over $300,000 for the Arizona moderate's challenger in the 2024 primary. Meanwhile, a group of top donors Sinema's campaigns have threatened to pull their support, Politico reported, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has even floated the idea of campaigning on behalf of Sinema's eventual primary opponent.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
May 26 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's political cartoons feature Donald Trump's red tie, Hunter Biden's crypto lament, and one meaning of Memorial Day
-
3 tips for coping with financial stress
The explainer Feel more at peace in an unpredictable economy
-
Sudoku medium: May 26, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Democrats are on the hunt for their own Joe Rogan
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Party leaders and mega-donors want to counter MAGA's online momentum by recreating a digital right-wing ecosystem for the left
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Democrats grapple with Biden cover-up fallout ahead of 2028
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Even before his cancer diagnosis, Dems have been grappling with whether the White House's alleged effort to hide Biden's failing health is worth relitigating
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6