Arizona Democrats to wait until 2020 for Sinema full censure vote

PHOENIX – Plans for a full censure vote of U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema this weekend have been postponed until next year, an Arizona Democratic Party spokesman said Friday.

The Progressive Caucus had submitted a resolution to censure Sinema for “failing to uphold the tenets” of the party platform. The resolution was to be considered Saturday at the state committee meeting in Prescott.

Not anymore. An oversight in the submission means the committee will only discuss the original resolution, which limits the call for censure to the caucus, not the entire party.

“The Arizona Democratic Party is a big tent party with several voices and all of them have a right to be heard. The Progressive Caucus hoped the state party would act on a resolution to censure Sinema,” party spokesman Matt Grodsky said in an email to KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“But the resolution that the caucus submitted to the party committee did not specify their intent for a full party censure.”

The resolution likely will be tabled at the weekend meeting, Grodsky said.

The early 2020 meeting was scheduled to be held in Yuma.

Sinema has disappointed the caucus with recent votes, such as helping to confirm President Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general, William Barr.

She also did not support a bill that would have restored net neutrality rules.

“We want her to be successful, we want her to be the best senator possible,” caucus member Dan O’Neal told KTAR News’ Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes on Wednesday.

“We believe Democrats should vote like Democrats, and Republicans would agree with me that they would want their representatives to vote like Republicans.”

Sinema has voted along party lines about 80% of the time since she took office in January, according to statistical analysis website FiveThirtyEight.

Sinema declined to comment on the resolution.

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