Democratic fundraising firm drops Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

By 
 December 11, 2022

First term Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema made headlines late last week after announcing that she had left the Democratic Party.

The implications of Sinema's move go beyond Capitol Hill, with Politico reporting that a key progressive fundraising firm called Authentic has dropped her as a client.

Loss of fundraising firm

Although Sinema has long been a customer of Authentic, an unnamed source familiar with the company said it would now be parting ways with the lawmaker.

Politico noted that the development could negatively affect Sinema's fundraising when she runs for reelection in 2024 as the former Democrats has increasingly struggled to attract donations from grassroots supporters.

As of Sunday morning, Sinema was still listed on Authentic's website, alongside such high-profile Democrats as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono.

Tensions running high

Tensions between Sinema and Authentic have apparently been brewing for some time, as Politico reported earlier this year that staff members at the company had "revolted" over Sinema's relatively moderate policy positions.

Authentic's unionized employees are represented by the Campaign Workers Guild. Taylor Billings serves as the union's organizing director, and she told Politico that Sinema's stances were "an affront" to her members' values.

Particularly bothersome to employees was Sinema's choice this past January to join West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin in opposing an end to the filibuster rule. Also at issue was Sinema's vote in March of last year to oppose a $15 federal minimum wage.

"Doing the devil's work"

Politico obtained internal company communications which reflect that conflict. One employee was quoted as asking, "What’s the point of us supporting a client who is the antithesis of what we claim to stand for?"

The same staff member later expressed concern that "we have clients who would consider leaving us if they realize we work for her."

One employee complained that helping Sinema amounted to "doing the devil's work" while another said, “I feel sick about it tbh."

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