Activists Plan to Harass Sinema as She Runs Boston Marathon

 Activists from the Green New Deal Network plan to confront Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) while she runs the Boston Marathon on Monday in protest of her opposition to Democrats’ massive social spending bill.

The group, which is a coalition of 15 national organizations, said in a statement Saturday that activists are planning on “birddogging” the moderate Democrat while she runs the race, holding signs that say, “Senator Sinema: Pass the Full Deal,” “Senator Sinema: Stop Running. Start Listening,” and “Senator Sinema: Stop Running From Us.”

The activists comes from both Sinema’s home state of Arizona and from Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe. 

Sinema and her colleague, Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) have faced harassment in recent weeks over their refusal to support Democrats’ proposed $3.5 trillion price tag on the reconciliation bill. Democrats will need their votes in order to pass the measure using budget reconciliation, which will require a simple majority to pass in the evenly divided Senate.

Earlier this month a group of immigration activists harassed Sinema while she was entering a bathroom at Arizona State University, where she is a guest lecturer.

One of the students stood outside the stall videotaping while urging her to support the social spending bill and threatening to vote her out of office if she refused.

Last week, she was confronted by activists while onboard a flight from Arizona to Washington, D.C.’s Reagan airport, where she was met by more activists who confronted her over her opposition to the reconciliation package.

“Can you explain to the American people what you plan on cutting from Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan? Do you want to cut climate priorities? Is it elder care that you want to cut or is it child care?,” Green New Deal Network chief of staff Kunoor Ojha said while chasing Sinema through the airport.

A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient challenged Sinema on her flight, asking her questions about her lack of support for a pathway for citizenship for illegal immigrants. 

After Sinema was harassed at ASU and activists surrounded Manchin’s house boat in Washington, D.C., President Biden claimed the harassment was “part of the process.”