DThree days after winning the election in Georgia, the Democrats had to accept a setback: Kyrsten Sinema, Senator from Arizona, announced on Friday that she was leaving the party and had registered as an independent in her state. The previous party right, which has been part of the second chamber since 2019 and has often not voted with its group, said while its move will surprise some, it makes sense to them. She never fit into party political boxes, never tried anything like that and didn’t want it at all, Sinema told CNN. For them it is more truthful to appear as independents in the future. In addition, she believes that this also corresponds to the feelings of many Arizona citizens.
The Democrats had just strengthened their position in the Senate by winning the runoff in Georgia. When the new Congress is constituted in January, the parliamentary group will have 51 members. There are currently 50, which is why Vice President Kamala Harris has had to act as a “tie-breaker” on several occasions. So far, two senators have been independents — Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine. As a non-party, you have joined the Democrats.
Sinema did not explicitly say that she would do the same. However, she expressed hope that she would retain her committee responsibilities despite her decision, which she had previously informed the White House and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. This suggests that she wants to remain a member of the group, as Schumer assigns the committee posts.
Harris could be needed to tip the scales again
Similar to party right-wing Joe Manchin, the senator from West Virginia, Sinema did not support several legislative proposals by the Democrats or weakened some in the legislative process. With her move, Manchin retains his important role in the faction. After the re-election of Raphael Warnock, the Georgia Senator, Schumer thanked Vice President Harris on Wednesday for having served as a multiple tipper. He added happily that this would not be necessary so often in the future.
He could have been wrong about that. If Manchin or Sinema back out, the vice president will be needed again in plenary. Sinema had often drawn the anger of the party left because of her voting behavior. The reason for her current decision is that she is up for re-election in two years. Arizona Democrats had considered challenging her in the primary. Sinema has now forestalled such a scenario. As an independent candidate in the 2024 election year, she does not have to face any primaries.
Democrats must now consider whether to back Sinema against a Republican challenger or field their own candidate. Of course, that would make a Republican victory more likely. Arizona’s second Senator, Democrat Mark Kelly, was re-elected in November’s congressional elections. He had prevailed over Donald Trump-backed candidate Blake Masters, in part because he had won the majority of votes from independent voters. Arizona has long been a Republican-dominated state, albeit with a strong proportion of independent voters. Since Trump was elected president, the Democrats have won several elections in the Southwest.
