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Kyrsten Sinema raked in hefty GOP donations while opposing Biden’s agenda

An analysis by Rolling Stone found that the Arizona senator brought in more than $1.5 million late last year — and some of that came from prominent Republican donors.

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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has been taking money from big donors in the Republican Party while helping to block much of President Joe Biden's agenda, according to a new report. 

Rolling Stone magazine conducted an analysis of the conservative Democrat's recent filings to the Federal Election Commission and discovered she received cash from prominent GOP donors.

From their report:

According to new FEC filings, Sinema brought in $1.6 million in Q4, only $33,983 of which was unitemized, which designates donations of less than $200 (i.e., ones from ordinary people). Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times pointed out on Twitter that a lot of this big-money donor action comes from some familiar names: Harlan Crow, a massive GOP donor the Texas Tribune called “one of the biggest whales in the country”; Ken Langone, another massive GOP donor who felt “betrayed” by Trump and switched to Biden; Nelson Peltz, the aforementioned Manchin confidante; and Miguel B. “Mike” Fernandez, a Florida health care billionaire who threw his fortune behind Hillary in 2016 after Jeb Bush fizzled out.

The Rolling Stone report also notes that Sinema and fellow obstructionist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., both received donations from Fox PAC, the donor arm of Fox News' parent company.

Sinema being a turncoat isn’t exactly news. Her public evolution from avowed liberal into the husk of Ronald Reagan is the source of many Democrats’ discontent with her. The Arizona Democratic Party recently censured Sinema for supporting the filibuster, the Senate tool conservatives are using to block voter protection bills. And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her opposition to progressive policies. 

It looks like Sinema’s going to need the dollars — and, maybe, prayers — if she hopes to survive a primary.

During the Trump administration, she helped block a raise to the minimum wage, and she’s been a barrier to the Biden administration passing several popular, progressive policies. In addition to blocking voting rights legislation, she was reportedly key in stripping prescription drug price reform from the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed last year. She’s also been noncommittal about the Build Back Better social spending package. 

All of this was certain to please Sinema’s big money donors, many of whom don’t live in her state. And frankly, it looks like Sinema’s going to need the dollars — and, maybe, prayers — if she hopes to survive a primary and keep her Senate seat when she’s up for re-election in 2024. 

Recent polls have shown her with a higher approval rating among Republicans than Democrats in Arizona. 

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