Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona who is registered as an independent, announced on Friday that she will not join the Republican caucus, ensuring that Democrats will keep their small Senate majority.
Sinema declared her independence from Washington’s dysfunctional party system in her statement. She has modeled her political approach after that of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and has periodically annoyed Democratic colleagues with her overtures to Republicans and opposition to Democratic agendas.
Sinema told CNN on Thursday, “I know some people might be surprised by this, but it actually makes a lot of sense.” I haven’t actually attempted to fit neatly into any party boxes, and I don’t want to.
In a piece for the Arizona Republic, the senator, who is in her first term, said she ran for office on the pledge “to be independent and work with anyone to accomplish enduring results.” I vowed not to disparage anyone I disagreed with, use slurs, or let political drama divert me. I swore I would never yield to pressure from the party.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, won the Georgia runoff election on Tuesday, giving Democrats a 51-49 lead in the Senate come January. The Senate is now evenly divided 50/50 after Vice President Kamala Harris cast the crucial Democratic vote in a tie.
According to Sinema, who was elected to the Senate in 2018 after spending three terms in the House, she will not caucus with Republicans and she plans to keep voting the same way she has done so far. She vowed that neither my beliefs nor my behavior would change.
Amy Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, told CNN that although she didn’t think the situation would shift as drastically as some anticipated, “it may affect things with Arizona politics.” Sinema “tends not to go to the caucus meeting…except for rare occasions when she is arguing for something she cares about,” according to Klobuchar. Additionally, that won’t alter.
Sinema “has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months, from the American Rescue Plan to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the CHIPS and Science Act, from the PACT Act to the Gun Safety Act to the Affordable Care Act,” according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a separate statement.
After alienating a big portion of the Democratic base by opposing or watering down progressive demands like a minimum wage rise or President Biden’s significant social spending measures, Sinema is up for reelection in 2024 and will almost probably face a well-funded primary challenger. She has not said whether or not she plans to seek for office again.
The most well-known prospective primary rival is Rep. Ruben Gallego, who has a lengthy history of conflict with Sinema.
