Former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill called Sen. Joe Manchin a “power-hungry white dude” after the senator voiced his opposition to the Democrats’ sweeping election reform legislation.
“Record number of black voters show up to save this democracy, only for white supremacy to be upheld by a cowardly, power-hungry white dude. @Sen_JoeManchin is a clown,” Hill tweeted Sunday.
This is so on brand for this country. Record number of black voters show up to save this democracy, only for white supremacy to be upheld by a cowardly, power-hungry white dude. @Sen_JoeManchin is a clown. https://t.co/fCMuyoLer3
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 6, 2021
Democrats have argued that the bill is essential for protecting ballot access for millions of minority voters.
But Manchin disagreed with his party’s assessment, arguing in an op-ed Sunday the bill was too partisan.
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“The truth, I would argue, is that voting and election reform that is done in a partisan manner will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen,” Manchin said of the legislation.
Hill, who now works as a contributor for the Atlantic and hosts her own podcast, has a history of controversial remarks. Last July, Hill accused anyone who voted for former President Donald Trump of being a racist.
“If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist,” Hill said. “You have no wiggle room.”
Manchin has meanwhile continued to separate himself from much of the Democratic Party, telling Fox News the party’s election legislation is too divisive.
“It’s the wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together and unite our country, and I’m not supporting that because I think it would divide us more. I don’t want to be in a country that’s divided any further,” Manchin told Fox.
The bill would introduce sweeping changes to the nation’s election process, including automatically registering voters and mandatory same-day registration. The bill would also mandate states offer no-excuse absentee voting and 15 days of early voting.
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“I think there’s a lot of great things in that piece of legislation, but there’s an awful lot of things that basically don’t pertain directly to voting,” Manchin said.
