Dem
51
GOP
49
Presumably, this was the plan all along. In a development that isn't much of a surprise to politics-followers, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) announced that she has left the Democratic Party and that she is now registered as an independent. She timed things so that the story broke very early Friday morning, literally moments before this posting was set to go live. Here is the video she posted early Friday to explain her decision:
It starts with her arguing that Arizonans don't care about "Republican" or "Democrat," which is certainly news to us. And it pretty much goes downhill from there. We assume she'll be showing up to work with an arm sling today, given how much time she spent in the video patting herself on the back.
Since the news just broke, there are still some important unanswered questions, most obviously what Sinema's plans are when it comes to the party caucuses. However, she did say she expects to retain her committee memberships. That, in turn, pretty strongly suggests that she's going to be a third musketeer to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME)—a Democrat in practice, just not in name.
Assuming that is how things shake out, then that means that Sinema's re-registration is really just some early 2024 maneuvering. As a Democrat, she was at serious risk of being primaried by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) or some other member of the Party. As an independent, she's effectively guaranteed to make it to the general election ballot. In turn, that means that we and everyone else are going to end up writing thousands of words about how she might cost the blue team a Senate seat. If the Democrats decline to run a candidate, which is basically what they do in Vermont and Maine, then many Arizona Democrats will be furious to be left with two bad options, as they see it. If the Democrats nominate Gallego, then Sinema is not likely to be reelected, but she would be in an excellent position to play spoiler. And given that she's still more a Democrat than a Republican, she's likely to attract more Democratic votes than Republican votes. In a state where statewide elections tend to be very close, that could well be enough to send a Republican to the Senate.
Sinema has always given the impression that her primary concern is Kyrsten Sinema. Certainly, this news does nothing to argue against that impression. (Z)