On Friday, September 11th, 2015, the U.S. House voted 269-162 against supporting President Obama’s Iran deal. Predictably Republicans voted in lock step, 244-0, to oppose the deal, although notably, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4) simply voted “present”.
An overwhelming majority of Democrats supported the Iran deal, but unlike Republicans they did not vote as a unified block. While 162 Democrats stood with the president, 25 Democrats defected and sided with the Republicans in the House. The 25 Democrats who joined Republicans in opposing the Iran deal are listed below:
Brad Ashford (NE-2)
Brendan Boyle (PA-13)
Tony Cardenas (CA-29)
Ted Deutch (FL-21)
Eliot Engel (NY-16)
Lois Frankel (FL-22)
Gwen Grahan (FL-2)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Alcee Hastings (FL-20)
Steve Israel (NY-3)
Ted Lieu (CA-33)
Dan Lipinski (IL-3)
Nita Lowey (NY-17)
Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Grace Meng (NY-6)
Grace Napolitano (CA-32)
Donald Norcross (NJ-1)
Collin Peterson (MN-7)
Kathleen Rice (NY-4)
David Scott (GA-13)
Brad Sherman (CA-30)
Kysten Sinema (AZ-9)
Albio Sires (NJ-8)
Juan Vargas (CA-51)
Filemon Vela (TX-34)
The Democratic Party remains ideologically diverse, while the Republican Party has become united in opposing anything and everything Barack Obama supports. While Republicans are uniform in their disloyalty to the president, Democratic members of the House are less predictable. On key issues, many members of the House are willing to oppose the president.
That willingness to buck the White House was especially evident in the June TPP trade promotion authority fight, when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi led an intra-party revolt against the president’s trade agenda. By contrast, on the Iran Deal, Pelosi and most of the Democratic House leadership stood by the president, but that still didn’t prevent 25 Democrats from rejecting the White House’s position.
The 25 Democrats who opposed the Iran Deal may have done so for a variety of different reasons. Constituents should hold them accountable and ask them to explain their opposition to the Iran deal. Perhaps some of the Democratic members of Congress will present sensible arguments for taking their position and voting against the deal. Many others may be evasive or offer nothing beyond vague and unpersuasive talking points. For those that fail to defend their vote with sound reasoning, it may be time to find Democratic primary opponents to challenge them in November of 2016.
- Clinton, Sanders Stand With Planned Parenthood. Republicans Stand Silent After Shooting - Sat, Nov 28th, 2015
- President Obama Responds To Planned Parenthood Shooting With Call To Action - Sat, Nov 28th, 2015
- Active Shooter Has Hostages At Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood Clinic - Fri, Nov 27th, 2015
