Arizona Democratic Party will hold vote to censure Sinema

The Arizona Democratic Party is planning to hold a vote this week to determine whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) should be censured.

The Arizona Republic reports the censure vote is due to the fact that progressives in the state Democratic Party see her as too accommodating to President Trump and his policies.

{mosads}Those seeking to censure Sinema point to her vote to confirm David Bernhardt, Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of the Interior, as well as her vote to confirm William Barr as Attorney General, the news outlet notes.

Additionally, progressives in the Arizona Democratic Party cite Sinema’s resistance to joining fellow Democrats in trying to reinstate net neutrality rules to prevent internet service providers from throttling websites.

Dan O’Neal, the state coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America, told the news outlet that the censure is an effort to push Sinema back toward the left.

“Here’s the thing: We really support Kyrsten Sinema, we want her to succeed, we want her to be the best senator in the country,” O’Neal said. “But the way she is voting is really disappointing. We want Democrats to vote like Democrats and not Republicans.”

The progressive caucus of the state party outlined its reasoning in a resolution.

FiveThirtyEight’s Trump Tracker found that Sinema has opposed Trump during her time in the Senate 81 percent of the time. During her time in the House, where she served three terms, she supported Trump’s agenda 54% of the time. 

Felecia Rotellini, the Arizona Democratic Party’s chairwoman, said the censure will be heard but is unsure it will pass.

“We are a very diverse group and that means diversity of thought, as well,” Rotellini said. “I don’t think it reflects poorly on the party at all, I don’t think it’s an indication of a fracture. I think it’s an indication of a group of people who think differently and have a different perspective on the same topic.”

The vote is being held Saturday during the party’s quarterly meeting. Rotellini and O’Neal told the news outlet that the language for the censure is still being finalized.

The Hill has reached out to Sinema for comment. 

Sinema beat out Sen. Martha McSally (R) for a seat in the Senate in 2018 in a close race she won by less than 2 percentage points. McSally was later appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) after his death. 

Arizona was one of only two Senate seats Democrats picked up in 2018, the other coming in Nevada.

Trump won Arizona in 2016 by less than 5 points in 2016. Democrats see Arizona as a state they could flip in the upcoming presidential election.