Sen. Sinema In Danger Of Losing Major Donors After Filibuster Vote

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) is in danger of losing donors after she voted against changing filibuster rules so her party could pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The vote resulted in 52-48 majority to keep the filibuster rule the same. The Democrats needed all of their party to vote in favor of changing the filibuster to get to a 50-50 tie and avoid the 60 majority rule. With a tie, they could rely on tie-breaker Vice President Kamala Harris to tip the scale their way.

Sinema said that she backed the voting rights acts, but did not think changing the filibuster rule was the way to get it done.

“When one party need only negotiate with itself, policy will inextricably be pushed from the middle towards the extremes,” Sinema said.

Seventy donors wrote Sinema a letter threatening to support a primary challenge and ordered her to return the money they put towards her 2018 campaign if she did not change her vote. Some of the donors had given Sinema the maximum legal amount.

“We’re seeing what we call escalation,” Quentin James, co-founder of the Collective PAC, said in an interview. “It’s important that Sinema understands there’s a pretty well-trained pipeline right behind her and it won’t be hard for Democrats to find a senator from Arizona who reflects the values of the broader progressive movement.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) also broke with his party, scolding them for trying to “break the rules to change the rules.”