Pelosi stumps for some, not all, Ariz. Democrats
Congressional candidate Greg Stanton held a fundraiser with her. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., pledged his continued support for her. Candidate Garrick McFadden was happy to be near her.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., swung through Phoenix on Tuesday, but not every Arizona Democrat was eager to stand with one their party’s most polarizing figures.
Most notably, U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the open Senate seat, was elsewhere. During a meeting after the event with the Editorial Board of
The Arizona Republic, Sinema made clear that wasn’t an accident.
“I’ve never been afraid to stand up to party bosses,” Sinema said, noting she didn’t vote for Pelosi for House leadership on three occasions. “We have a different approach to solving the problems that our country faces.”
Pelosi offered diplomatic answers about her relationship with Sinema, something Republicans are hoping to exploit.
“Well, she’s a valued representative of her district and I respect that, and we’re very excited about her prospect of becoming a senator,” Pelosi told reporters after her remarks to attendees.
Pelosi said she didn’t think Sinema had missed an opportunity to connect with about 100 of the party’s activists Tuesday.
“We’re trying to win the House, we wanted to salute the volunteers that were here,” Pelosi said, “but I’m all over the country. I’m not with senators most of the places that I go, practically none.”
Republicans had four protesters protesting Pelosi’s presence outside. Using occasionally foul language, they told Pelosi to take her policies back to California.
The Republican National Committee sought to link Sinema to Pelosi while touting the tax cuts passed last year that Pelosi once described as Armageddon.
“With more money in their pockets, Americans continue to benefit from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, no thanks to Nancy Pelosi and her pal Kyrsten Sinema,” said Renae Eze, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman. “Pelosi and Sinema tried to deceive voters about the tax cuts, but they’re not buying it. Come November, voters will let Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat pals know exactly what they think about their ‘Armageddon.’ ”