Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) took a swipe at his Republican colleagues amid the ongoing debate over voting rights legislation, saying they are choosing “power and politics” over democracy.
During an appearance on “The View,” co-host Ana Navarro noted Martin Luther King Jr. was someone who “preached the fierce urgency of now,” adding, “He said, ‘Justice too long delayed is justice denied.'”
She asked Warnock, “What would Dr. King make of the fact that we’re still fighting for voting rights all these decades later?”
Warnock replied, “It’s disheartening. I have to be honest. I am saddened by where we are right now.”
He called King a “sober-minded soldier in the non-violent fight for freedom.”
The senator explained, “It’s not unusual to have this kind of backlash…When you take two steps forward, often, there is pushback driven by fear and bigotry.”
He continued, “But the good news is we do have the tools in the Senate to do something about this. We can pass voting rights.”
Warnock went on, “Our colleagues on the other side have chosen power and politics over a commitment to democracy.”
He accused politicians of “trying to cherry-pick their voters.”
Watch his comments below:
"I'm not about to rest until we find a way to secure the right to vote, access to the ballot, for every eligible American," @SenatorWarnock tells #TheView.
— The View (@TheView) January 17, 2022
"Our colleagues on the other side have chosen power and politics over a commitment to democracy." https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/3agjNSTrLT
“It is anti-Democratic. It is anti-American,” Warnock said.
The Democrat told Navarro he is “not about to rest until we find a way to secure the right to vote, access to the ballot, for every eligible American.”
Members of King’s family urged the Senate to pass voting rights legislation as they led a D.C. march, as The Washington Post reported.
“To the president and United States senators, you were successful with infrastructure, which is a great thing,” King’s son, Martin Luther King III, said. “But you need to use the same energy to ensure all Americans have an unencumbered right to vote.”
The Post noted that the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act” passed the House last week and is expected to be considered by the Senate on Tuesday.