The pro-abortion group EMILY’s List says it will no longer endorse Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., if she continues to support the filibuster.
EMILY’s List helps elect Democratic female candidates who support legalized abortion. The group endorsed Sinema during her 2018 Senate run and contributed $9,500 to her campaign.
In a statement released Tuesday, Laphonza Butler, president of Emily’s List, said they have not “endorsed or contributed to Sen. Sinema since her election in 2018” and Sinema’s decision to “reject the voices of allies, partners and constituents who believe the importance of voting rights outweighs that of an arcane process means she will find herself standing alone in the next election”.
“So, we want to make it clear: if Sen. Sinema can not support a path forward for the passage of this legislation, we believe she undermines the foundations of our democracy, her own path to victory and also the mission of EMILY’s List, and we will be unable to endorse her moving forward,” Butler continued.
Last week, Sinema, who has remained in support of the filibuster, said she opposes “actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country”.
“Tensions are raised within the country, and traditional nonpartisan issues are transformed into partisan wedges. We must address the disease itself, the disease of division, to protect our democracy. And it cannot be achieved by one party alone. It cannot be achieved solely by the federal government,” she explained.
The House of Representatives passed a bill combining the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, but it will not receive 60 votes in the Senate, which is split 50-50.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is also known for his support of the filibuster. President Biden has compared them with segregationists for their opposition to changing Senate rules.
“History has never been kind to those who’ve sided with voter suppression over voters’ rights, and it will be even less kind for those who side with election subversion,” Biden said during his Jan. 11 speech.
Sinema now faces racism allegations over her decision. Rep. Reginald Bolding of Arizona said she was upholding “the antiquated Jim Crow-era filibuster”.
Democratic political consultant Tom Watson claimed Sinema “chose her side – and that side is white supremacy. That’s who she is. That’s what defines her now”.