Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema says she is leaving the Democratic Party and will formally become an independent in a move that more fully places her at the center of a narrowly divided chamber.
She announced her decision in an opinion piece published today (Friday) in The Arizona Republic newspaper.
"I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington," she wrote.
Sinema says she doesn’t plan to change her voting habits: often aligning with Democrats but backing Republicans on certain issues. And she won’t dispense with the legislative filibuster that has led many Democrats to call for her to face a primary challenge in 2024.
Sinema’s move is no doubt a bit jarring to Senate Democrats who had hoped Raphael Warnock’s runoff victory in Georgia on Tuesday would provide the party a measure of breathing room on difficult votes that often hinged on Sinema and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.
Photo courtesy of AZ Central
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