Senator Kyrsten Sinema formally censured by Arizona Democratic Party

The Arizona Democratic Party has voted to formally censure Senator Kyrsten Sinema "as a result of her failure to do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our democracy," the party said Saturday. The announcement came just days after Sinema opposed a change to the Senate rules that could have moved Democratic-backed voting rights legislation forward.

"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," Arizona Democratic Party chairperson Raquel Terán said in a statement. "In the choice between an archaic legislative norm and protecting Arizonans' right to vote, we choose the latter, and we always will."

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer initiated a vote on a rules change that would have allowed Democrats to pass the voting rights legislation with a simple majority of votes. However, Republicans opposed the move, as did Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Sinema.