Independent Kyrsten Sinema will not seek reelection to US Senate
Send a link to a friend
[March 06, 2024] By
Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Independent U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
said on Tuesday that she will not run for reelection in the highly
competitive state, which will be critical to her former Democratic
Party's chances of maintaining its narrow majority.
Sinema's decision clears the way for an expected head-to-head contest in
the November 2024 election between Democratic Representative Ruben
Gallego, a former Marine veteran who served in Iraq, and Kari Lake, a
far-right Republican who lost a bid for Arizona governor in 2022.
Sinema, 47, was elected in 2018 as a Democrat, but drew her party's ire
after she foiled some policy proposals of President Joe Biden along with
moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. They most notably refused to
support any change to the Senate's filibuster rule to allow Democrats to
enact major voting rights legislation.
At the same time, Sinema, the first openly bisexual senator, gained the
respect of many of her Senate colleagues as a dogged legislator who was
willing to plunge into difficult issues until compromises were reached.
Notably, Sinema was a key negotiator on Biden's successful $1 trillion
infrastructure investment bill that was enacted in 2021. Just this year,
she was one of three main negotiators on one of the most important
border security and immigration reform bills offered in the Senate in a
decade -- which was promptly killed by former President Donald Trump's
opposition that led to the collapse of Republican support.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/06/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
Following her clashes with fellow-Democrats, Sinema changed her party
affiliation to independent in December 2022. She continued caucusing
with the Democrats in their 51-49 majority, although she said in
subsequent media interviews that she rarely attended caucus meetings
even before she formally left the party.
She blamed an increasingly partisan tone of U.S. politics for her
decision to leave office.
"Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together
to get stuff done I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,"
Sinema said in a video posted on X. "Compromise is a dirty word."
Her move came as Americans in more than a dozen states cast ballots in
Super Tuesday primary elections, with Trump seeking to strike a knockout
blow in his run for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in
November.
Sinema's announcement came the week after Republican Leader Mitch
McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985, said
he will retire from his leadership role at year's end following a
record-long run.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/030624PIX/busine32.jpg)
U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) speaks to reporters about ongoing
negotiations on a U.S. border security deal at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, U.S., December 20, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/06/images/ads/current/immanuellutheran_lda_LENT_030424.png)
EXPENSIVE ARIZONA
Arizona's races have become among the closest-watched - and most
expensive - in the country in recent years. The Senate race between
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly and Republican challenger Blake
Masters in 2022 saw $129 million spent. Kelly won reelection with
51.4% of the vote.
"I want to thank Senator Sinema for her nearly two decades of
service to our state," Gallego said in a statement issued
immediately after her announcement in which he called for her
support.
Besides the spirited race expected in Arizona, Democrats have a
difficult road ahead in keeping their Senate majority. Incumbent
Democrats are trying to hold onto seats in states that likely will
see furious battles in the presidential race as well. Longtime
Senators Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown could face tough re-election
bids in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Democrats' seat in West Virginia, where Manchin announced in
November he would not be running for reelection, is all but certain
to be captured by Republicans. And there are new worries in
Maryland, where Democrat Ben Cardin is retiring and a popular former
Republican governor, Larry Hogan, is running to replace him.
Lake, a former television news anchor, ran in 2022 for governor,
narrowly losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs. The Republican still has
not conceded defeat, following Trump's practice of claiming falsely
that his 2020 presidential election loss was the result of
widespread voting fraud.
"Senator Sinema had the courage to stand tall against the Far-Left
in defense of the filibuster," Lake wrote on X.
Whatever the outcome of November's Senate elections, one thing is
certain. There will be far less fashion on the Senate floor when
Sinema exits with her brightly colored wardrobe that enlivened
members' famously drab dress.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton, additional reporting by Makini Brice,
Katharine Jackson and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone, Nick
Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/06/images/ads/current/ldn_smallsda_BUSINESSMAG_2023.png) |