Well, it’s about time! Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema finally admits she is not really a Democrat, switching to the Independent party.
Sinema, who was once a member of the Green Party, and then posed as a Democrat when she ran for and won her Arizona Senate seat in 2018, has frequently thrown a wrench into the Democratic agenda — such as joining Republicans to oppose filibuster changes and oppose increasing the corporate tax rate. It’s only a matter of time before she flits from Independent to Republican.
From Politico:
In a 45-minute interview, the first-term senator told POLITICO that she will not caucus with Republicans and suggested that she intends to vote the same way she has for four years in the Senate. “Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,” she said.
Provided that Sinema sticks to that vow, Democrats will still have a workable Senate majority in the next Congress, though it will not exactly be the neat and tidy 51 seats they assumed. They’re expected to also have the votes to control Senate committees. And Sinema’s move means Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — a pivotal swing vote in the 50-50 chamber the past two years — will hold onto some but not all of his outsized influence in the Democratic caucus.
Sinema would not address whether she will run for reelection in 2024, and informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of her decision on Thursday. …
The 46-year-old said her party switch is a logical next step in a political career built on working almost as closely with Republicans as she does with Democrats.Â
