Sen. Krysten Sinema, an Arizona independent, made a huge announcement about her future in the Senate on Tuesday, revealing she would not be seeking re-election. officially leaving the upper chamber at the end of 2024. This means the race for her seat will now come down to a battle between GOP candidate Kari Lake and Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat. This is a pretty big deal as it could end up being a race that determines which party gains control over the Senate. No pressure, right?
Sinema released a video containing her announcement where she issued a warning to the American people, saying that continuing to choose political extremes on either side of the aisle is the wrong course of action.
“In 2017, I warned we were approaching a crossroads,” she stated in the video. “Our democracy was weakened by government dysfunction, and the constant pull to the extremes by both political parties. I promised I would do my best to fix it, to protect and defend our Constitution, to listen to others without judging to focus on what unites us, and to make Americans lives better.”
“Through listening, understanding and compromise, we delivered tangible results that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” she added. “Yet despite modernizing our infrastructure, ensuring clean water, delivering good jobs and safer communities, Americans still choose to retreat farther to their partisan corners.”
“These solutions are considered failures, either because they’re too much or not nearly enough. It’s all or nothing. The outcome, less important than beating the other guy,” the Arizona senator added. “The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic, attacking your opponents on cable news or social media. Compromise is a dirty word. We’ve arrived at that crossroad. And we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach, but it’s not what America wants right now. I love Arizona, and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered. Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.”
The announcement video concluded with the independent senator shining a spotlight on some of her accomplishments in office.
A message for Arizonans from Senator Kyrsten Sinema pic.twitter.com/1XWFSWgGdh
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) March 5, 2024
Here is more information from The Hill:
Polls had shown a close race, and if Sinema ran, it would have left Senate Democrats in a bind over whether to back Sinema, who is no longer a Democrat but still caucuses with the party, or Gallego. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Sinema’s seat as “toss up.”
Gallego thanked Sinema on Tuesday for “her nearly two decades of service to our state.”
“Arizona, we are at a crossroads. Protecting abortion access, tackling housing affordability, securing our water supply, defending our democracy — all of this and more is on the line,” he stated on X. “It’s time Democrats, Independents, and Republicans come together and reject Kari Lake and her dangerous positions.”
Lake issued a response to the announcement by stating that while the pair “may not agree on everything, I know she shares my love for Arizona.”
“Senator Sinema had the courage to stand tall against the Far-Left in defense of the filibuster—despite the overwhelming pressure from the radicals in her party like Ruben Gallego who called on her to burn it all down,” Lake continued in the post on X, adding, “Arizonans will not be fooled by Gallego. I will be a voice for ALL Arizonans.”
This certainly will improve Lake’s chances of winning the race, but that’s obvious. Let’s hope that unlike the shenanigans that took place when Lake ran for governor back in 2020, she becomes the clear winner for the Senate seat and helps conservatives take back the chamber.