Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said on Sunday that while he is “very reluctant” to abolish the legislative filibuster, he would side with passing voting-rights legislation over the filibuster if he had to make a choice. With moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposing any elimination or weakening of the filibuster to pass the Biden administration’s agenda items, King—who caucuses with Democrats—was pressed by CNN anchor Jake Tapper on his stance.
“Not in general,” King replied when asked if he was ready to “get rid of the filibuster,” adding: “I’m very reluctant about it. But if it comes down to voting rights and the rights of Americans to go to the polls and select their leaders versus the filibuster, I’ll choose democracy.”
King’s comments come in the wake of Manchin’s declaration that he will oppose the For the People Act, Democrats’ sweeping election overhaul bill. In an op-ed published Sunday, Manchin claimed the legislation was too partisan and “will destroy the already weakening blinds of our democracy.”
