Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) is taking heat from far-left organizations in Arizona due to her strong stance on refusing to end the filibuster.
A recent “First Friday” event in Phoenix, Arizona, had a giant projection of “Tell Kyrsten Sinema, End The Filibuster,” shown on the side of the building, according to the Hill. This was paid for by a far-left organization called Progress Arizona.
The far-left group has also been responsible for projecting anti-filibuster messages throughout the last few months on buildings and monuments all over Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson, Arizona.
Progress Arizona has taken aim at the Senator after the state has seen Democrats winning elections after decades of having Republicans represent the state, according to the report.
Emily Kirkland, who is the head of the far-left organization, told the Hill:
As long as the filibuster is in place, it’s going to be impossible to see progress on voting rights, on immigration, on so many topics that affect people in Arizona. … We’re really just trying to send a message to her that this is the way to cement the direction that Arizona has gone in, is by passing commonsense policies.
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So far there has been no indication that she has been adjusting her stance on the filibuster. … Why prioritize that kind of rule over actually making a difference in people’s lives?
Previously reported by Breitbart News, Sinema has joined another Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), in being defenders of the filibuster. Sinema has been rejecting the attempts from her own party to persuade her to eliminate the 60-vote requirement in order to advance most pieces of legislation. Recently the two of them have blocked their party from eliminating the filibuster.
Sinema previously told the Wall Street Journal, “the problem is senators’ behavior, not the chamber’s rules.” She added, “I think the solution is for senators to change their behavior and begin to work together, which is what the country wants us to do.”
When the Hill reached out to Sinema’s office for comment, they declined to comment on the most recent matter.
Fred Yamashita, who heads the Arizona AFL-CIO, a known ally to Sinema, when asked about her supporting the filibuster, told the Hill:
She was again pretty clear on her position on the filibuster. I expressed our concern that so many of the important bills after this last relief package were going to take the filibuster or a different version of the filibuster in order to pass. … She has been there with and for labor, both as a member of the House and the Senate, so I do feel that there’s always that opportunity that she will end up coming down on the side of labor
Early this year, in a letter signed by 40 organizations to urge Sinema to change Senate rules, both Progress Arizona and the AFL-CIO signed on to the letter.