The following opinion column by Arizona 番茄社区 of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden originally appeared in The Arizona Republic earlier today.

It鈥檚 hard to remember a time when our nation was as deeply divided as it is today.

Now more than ever, we need elected leaders who are willing to buck party politics and work toward finding common-ground, commonsense solutions to address our challenges, bridge our division and begin to move our country forward.

Unfortunately, examples of this kind of leadership are becoming fewer and farther between. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Washington, D.C., where political expediency and pandering to the party base increasingly take precedent over the pursuit of broadly supported bipartisan solutions.

Then there鈥檚 Sen. Kyrsten Sinema 鈥� a refreshing independent voice amid a chorus of deafening partisan rancor. Throughout her first term, Sen. Sinema has demonstrated the kind of bold and brave public service many people may have thought died with the late Sen. John McCain.

That maverick spirit has been on full display in recent days, as Sen. Sinema held her ground in supporting the long-standing Senate filibuster amid intense and incendiary political pressure from her own party.

The senator鈥檚 stance on this issue should have come as a surprise to no one. In a from last June, Sinema wrote: 鈥淚f anyone expected me to reverse my position because my party now controls the Senate, they should know that my approach to legislating in Congress is the same whether in the minority or majority.鈥�

She reiterated that position during a recent , reminding her colleagues that 鈥渨e have but one democracy. We can only survive, we can only keep her, if we do so together.鈥�

You would think that message of bipartisanship would be widely embraced, welcomed and celebrated in this time of severely fractured politics. After all, it鈥檚 exactly what politicians, pundits 鈥� and yes, opinion columnists who appear on these pages 鈥� have been preaching for years.

Not so. Rather than praising Sen. Sinema as a profile in courage, the same chattering class that has been crying for civility has laid bare its hypocrisy 鈥� spewing vile, threatening and dishonest attacks on the senator鈥檚 character and distorting her record.

Ironically, some people 鈥� all of whom know better 鈥� have resorted to the same overheated, hateful rhetoric that they鈥檝e longed claimed has no place in the public square.

鈥淲orse than the 鈥楰u Klux Klanner鈥� of the 1960s.鈥�

鈥淜illing [Dr. Martin Luther] King鈥檚 legacy鈥� and 鈥渢urn[ing] America back to the Jim Crow era.鈥�

These are dripping off the pages of Arizona鈥檚 newspaper of record.

Nationally, the backlash has been equally repugnant, with MSNBC talking heads calling Sen. Sinema 鈥� among other things 鈥� 鈥溾�� and her staff 鈥�.鈥�

These accusations are not only ridiculous 鈥� not to mention flat-out false 鈥� but they are also corrosive. If anything is a threat to democratic discourse, it鈥檚 language like this.

This is about more than a single policy issue. We are at a place where working across the aisle to advance bipartisan solutions 鈥� the very thing the Senate was designed to do 鈥� is now met with vitriol, and decried as failure.

If we are truly going to heal our fractured country, we must first start by toning down the dangerous and divisive rhetoric. And we must realize that the consistent pursuit of bipartisan agreement is not a threat to democracy, but an asset.

We鈥檙e grateful to have that in Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. We would hope our entire delegation 鈥� and all of our elected leaders 鈥� would follow her example.  

Danny Seiden is the president and CEO of the Arizona 番茄社区 of Commerce and Industry. On Twitter: .

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Arizona鈥檚 U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally are among the top scoring lawmakers to receive awards this week from the U.S. 番茄社区 of Commerce for their bipartisan leadership to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

They and other national lawmakers received the awards at the chamber鈥檚 First Annual Governing with Distinction Ceremony. Recognizing those who are not afraid to stand up to partisan pressure is the main point behind the new awards, U.S. 番茄社区 President Suzanne Clark said during the virtual awards Tuesday. 

鈥淚f you want effective legislation, you need the right leaders, not political posturing,鈥� 

said Clark, who leads the world鈥檚 largest organization representing business. 

The awards are intended to herald lawmakers鈥� accomplishments and encourage them to continue their bipartisan efforts, Clark said. Now more than ever, the country needs them.  

鈥淭his event is taking place at a time when our country is being tested by three significant challenges: a public health crisis, a devastated economy that’s showing some signs of life but is still in a very precarious place, and long overdue efforts to address inequality in our society,鈥� Clark said. 

鈥淭he decisions that our elected officials make now will have significant bearing on how quickly and how effectively we rebuild our economy and how businesses bounce back, help restore jobs and opportunities, and create hope for all Americans during this really challenging time.鈥�

To determine the winners, the chamber analyzed members鈥� voting records to measure bipartisan leadership in the two award categories: 

-The Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award鈥痳ecognizes members of Congress who demonstrate the leadership required to advance policies that support free enterprise.

-The Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship recognizes members who demonstrate a willingness to work across the aisle and find common ground, even with those with whom they disagree.

Part of U.S. 番茄社区鈥檚 move to 鈥渕iddle ground鈥�

The ceremony comes as the U.S. 番茄社区 is making a concerted effort to foster a governing coalition of the political center for the sake of industry. 

Political gridlock in Washington has hurt progress on some major issues important to industry, said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the chamber. 

Arizona senators both natural leaders 

Sen. Sinema, who was elected in 2018, received both the Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson-Hamilton awards.

She also was the only honoree to score 100 percent in both categories, earning a 100 percent rating for her legislative record on jobs and the economy and for the number of bills introduced by a member of the opposite party. 

Among her accomplishments, Sinema led the charge to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank that  is important to Arizona鈥檚 manufacturing sector. This helps Arizona businesses reach new customers around the globe. In the last six years the bank has financed $2 billion in exports with 80 percent from small businesses.  

鈥淲orking across the aisle is how I get things done and deliver for Arizona, and I remain committed to working with anyone to fuel innovation, cut red tape, and create jobs in Arizona,鈥� Sinema said. 

Sen. McSally, who was the first female pilot to fly in combat and the first to command a fighter squadron, received the Abraham Lincoln Leadership award for her bipartisan leadership in promoting a strong economy. 

McSally led bipartisan efforts last year to ensure Arizona has the water resources needed to support the state鈥檚 population growth and economic development. She successfully shepherded the seven-state Drought Contingency Plan through Congress to avert a water crisis in the Southwest.   

After receiving the award, McSally said she was honored to receive recognition for her bipartisan record of 鈥減ro-job, pro-free enterprise鈥� work in Congress.

鈥淣ow more than ever, we need to work together to revitalize the economy, get people back to work, and create more jobs for Americans and Arizonans,鈥� McSally said. 鈥淚 will keep fighting for common sense pro-growth policies including low taxes, deregulation, and incentives to bring manufacturing home from China.鈥�

Arizona industry benefits from their leadership

Arizona and the nation have benefited from the senators’ ability to lead, said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona 番茄社区 of Commerce and Industry. 

Both helped pass some of the most important bipartisan legislation coming out of Congress, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act to help small businesses harmed by COVID-19. 

鈥淪enators Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally may be freshmen, but they are quickly distinguishing themselves for their hard work and leadership. And though they hail from different parties, they are following in the footsteps of the late Sen. John McCain, who put Arizona鈥檚 and the country鈥檚 interests above partisan politics,鈥� Hamer said. 

Other lawmakers who received top scores include: 

Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award

Rep. Donald Bacon (R-Nebraska) 

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) 

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas)

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina)

Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisan Leadership

Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) 

Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey)

Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-South Carolina)For a complete list of winners or to view the ceremony, go to:.

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With the challenges of an enduring pandemic and an economy just starting to recover, America needs strong leadership more than ever.

Last week, we saw that leadership in action when the U.S. Senate approved the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. This bipartisan legislation will expand loan forgiveness and adds much-needed flexibility for the small businesses that have been hard hit by the economic shutdown.

Thankfully, Arizona is blessed to have two effective and principled leaders in the U.S. Senate who helped make this happen.

Senators聽Kyrsten聽Sinema聽and Martha McSally may be freshmen, but they are quickly distinguishing themselves for their hard work and leadership. And though they hail from different parties, they are following in the footsteps of the late Sen. John McCain, who put Arizona鈥檚 and the country鈥檚 interests above partisan politics.

These accomplished women have a few things in common. Both have worked hard on COVID-19 relief legislation and implementation. Both support the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is critical for Arizona鈥檚 economy. Both are deeply concerned about what job creators care about and work in close partnership with the business community.

Here is another commonality: Both were honored with  that seek to elevate the work of members of Congress who are committed to growing the economy and to working in a bipartisan manner.

The Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award recognizes those members of Congress who have demonstrated leadership critical to advancing policies that support American enterprise, while the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship recognizes those members of Congress who have demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle in support of common objectives.

Senator Sinema, elected in 2018, earned both awards. In fact, she was the only honoree to score 100% in both categories. She earned a 100% rating for her legislative record on jobs and the economy, as well as a perfect rating based on the number of bills 鈥� except those formally opposed by the U.S. 番茄社区 鈥� that are introduced by a member of the opposite party.

For instance, Senator聽Sinema聽led the charge to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, which is critically important to Arizona鈥檚 manufacturing sector. This has helped Arizona businesses reach new customers around the globe. In the last six years, the Export-Import Bank has financed $2 billion in exports, 80% of them small businesses.

Senator McSally, whose leadership as the first female pilot to fly in combat and the first to command a fighter squadron has been well documented, was also awarded the Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award. Her support for a strong national and Arizona economy has been unwavering.

She has led efforts to ensure Arizona has the water resources needed to support the state鈥檚 population growth and economic development. Last year, Senator McSally successfully shepherded the Drought Contingency Plan through Congress to keep water flowing to Arizona. After two years of negotiations among the seven Colorado River Basin states, it took only six days for Congress to pass it. Much of this was due to Senator McSally鈥檚 leadership.

The public service excellence of Senator McSally and Senator Sinema goes beyond legislation. They both have dedicated, thoughtful, and resourceful staff who listen to constituents鈥� issues and help them find solutions. No problem is too big or too small 鈥� a posture that is especially important in helping the people and businesses of Arizona deal with the pandemic and economic crisis. That nitty-gritty, day-to-day effort doesn鈥檛 make newspaper headlines, but it means a lot to Arizonans.

The bipartisanship we鈥檝e seen from Senators Sinema and McSally will be needed as our nation  through education, employment, entrepreneurship, and criminal justice reform.

These well-earned awards demonstrate the importance of leadership and hard work right now. At a time when American desperately needs a governing center, Arizona is fortunate that both of our senators are part of it.

Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the Arizona 番茄社区 of Commerce and Industry. Thomas J. Donohue is the CEO of the U.S. 番茄社区 of Commerce.

This article was originally published in the Arizona Capitol Times.

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