Some LGBTQ+-rights organizations have criticized U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona)a member of the communityafter her stance on voting rights.
Sinema and fellow Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, have faced backlash for both opposing various initiatives from their party. The two are currently opposed to a Senate rules change that would nullify the filibuster to push through voting-rights legislation, media reports noted.
Neither senator is up for re-election until 2024. However, that hasn't stopped early consideration of primary challenges even with the November midterm elections months away and Democrats' ultra-slim Senate majority at risk, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ+ political officials and candidates, tweeted an official statement on Jan. 19. In part, LGBTQ Victory Fund President and CEO Mayor Annise Parker said, "Voter suppression efforts deny voters the equal opportunity to elect their representatives and are a direct challenge to Victory Fund's effort to advance equality through representation. … The increasingly strict voter ID laws create unnecessary and sometimes insurmountable obstacles for transgender and [non-binary] people attempting to access the ballot box.
"Senator Kyrsten Sinema is not currently endorsed and, if she runs for [re-election], her record and actions on the advancement of legislation impacting the equality of LGBTQ people will be a primary consideration for whether she receives our endorsement."
According to The Washington Blade, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement, although it didn't name Sinema. In part, the statement read, "[We] feel that it is necessary for the Senate to take whatever actions are required, including changes to Senate rules, to ensure a majority to pass this essential legislation."
Also, the National LGBTQ Task Force issued a statement. Executive Director Kierra Johnson said, in part, "The failure to enact the Freedom to Vote, John R. Lewis Act is a profound blow to our Democracy. The inability to ensure voting rights for Black and Brown people and other vulnerable groups like LGBTQ people lays at the feet of those who voted "nay." These are the votes of political extremists, whose fear of losing power has become a justification for carving out LGBTQ+ folks, People of Color, women, poor people and other already marginalized groups from the political process.
"Senators who voted for the right of all to participate in our Democratic process have our appreciation. To the restshame on you."
In addition, a non-LGBTQ organization has dumped Sinema. On Jan. 17, Emily's List announced it would no longer support Sinema for re-election over her position on voting rights. In addition, Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil-rights leader, compared Manchin and Sinema to white moderates who half-heartedly supported his father's work.