Biden's voting rights gamble prompts second-guessing | TheHill

Joe ManchinJoe ManchinSunday shows preview: Democrats' struggle for voting rights bill comes to a head Biden's voting rights gamble prompts second-guessing King family to march for voting rights in Arizona before MLK Day MORE (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten SinemaKyrsten SinemaSunday shows preview: Democrats' struggle for voting rights bill comes to a head Biden's voting rights gamble prompts second-guessing King family to march for voting rights in Arizona before MLK Day MORE still oppose changing Senate rules, leaving voting rights at a dead end.“Biden had no choice but to try,” said Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist think tank Third Way, pointing to the urgent threat posed by state-level voting laws passed by Republicans after the last election.“However, Sens. But his highest profile event was a speech in Georgia on voting rights, and he visited Senate Democrats at the Capitol and hosted Manchin and Sinema at the White House on Thursday to discuss the topic.Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerKyrsten Sinema's courage, Washington hypocrisy, and the politics of rage Joe Biden's disastrous 48 hours Biden's desperate pitch to keep minority voters MORE (D-N.Y.) is still expected to bring the voting bills to the floor in the coming days, forcing members to go on record with where they stand.Some Democrats are hopeful that once those votes takes place, Biden will refocus on other issues that may be more salient with voters and tout achievements like the bipartisan infrastructure bill, low unemployment and a strong stock market.“There’s no question that we’ve got to move on to other things and make the broader narrative about why Democrats deserve to be reelected about something else,” said Bennett, who worked in the Clinton White House.While the outcome of the Senate vote on the elections bills is not in doubt, White House officials and activists remain undeterred and believe the fight is worth having.“Sadly, if we do not address issues of access to the voting booth everything else becomes perfunctory,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino.