Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

[Kyle]

Kyrsten Sinema won't say whether she will caucus with Democrats


Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent.

Sinema made the announcement Friday by publishing an op-ed in the Arizona Republic.

The senator cited increasingly partisan interests and radicalization of both political parties as the reason for her departure.

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party on Friday due to fatigue with partisan politics and registering as an independent.

www.foxnews.com

Of course she will.

Independents in Congress are just Democrats in hiding.

 

[herb749]

Kyrsten Sinema won't say whether she will caucus with Democrats


Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent.

Sinema made the announcement Friday by publishing an op-ed in the Arizona Republic.

The senator cited increasingly partisan interests and radicalization of both political parties as the reason for her departure.

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party on Friday due to fatigue with partisan politics and registering as an independent.

www.foxnews.com

Of course she will.

Independents in Congress are just Democrats in hiding.

Or democrats in the open like Bernie Sanders.

 

[vraiblonde]

So that's 3 Senators who aren't Democrats, yet are still counted as Democrats toward the majority.

Is that right?

So the actual breakdown is 49R-48D-3I.

 

[Hijinx]

If they Caucus with democrats they are Democrats no matter what they call themselves.

 

[stgislander]

Now if only Manchin would switch. WV Gov. Jim Justice has already announced he's running to be the Rep candidte against Joe in two years. WV is solidly red and Jim is reasonably popular. Joe may have his hands full.

 

[HemiHauler]

POTUS just needs to appoint Sinema to a cabinet position or swanky ambassador slot and the soon-to-be sworn in Governor-elect gets to appoint a new Senator.

Watching your heads asplode would be nothing short of entertainment.

 

[Kyle]

POTUS just needs to appoint Sinema to a cabinet position or swanky ambassador slot and the soon-to-be sworn in Governor-elect gets to appoint a new Senator.

Watching your heads asplode would be nothing short of entertainment.

You really don't live in the real world, do you?

Since it would be a zero sum change, how do you figure?

 

[HemiHauler]

You really don't live in the real world, do you?

Since it would be a zero sum change, how do you figure?

No. If just a half-dozen of your heads asploded, it would be a net gain.

 

[Kyle]

No. If just a half-dozen of your heads asploded, it would be a net gain.

Enjoy your disappointment.

 

[Kyle]

So I've been watching this one make the rounds on other news sites with no difference in the story line.

What do you think she's blackmailing Democrats or holding out for to give them her vote?

 

[stgislander]

So I've been watching this one make the rounds on other news sites with no difference in the story line.

What do you think she's blackmailing Democrats or holding out for to give them her vote?

I would doubt #1. Likely #2. Although it could possibly be #3.

 

[Kyle]

Although it could possibly be #3.

That would be #1 & #2?

 

[stgislander]

That would be #1 & #2?

Hmmm. That would make what I was thinking #4.

 

[Sneakers]

I want Chinese for lunch now.

 

[Kyle]

Still, in addition to the ideological points she's made, the decision to become independent may also be a political calculation by Sinema that she couldn't win in a Democratic primary.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., had emerged as a potential Democratic challenger to Sinema, but she would not face him in a primary as an independent. The Democratic political action committee that has been organizing against Sinema said in a statement that the senator "just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn't win. Now, we'll beat her in the general election with a real Democrat."

Arizona has shifted from once reliably red to become a swing state since Sinema's election in 2018. It's electorate is roughly one third Democrats, one third independents and one third Republican. But if Sinema runs as an independent, she could split the votes with a Democratic candidate and give an opening to the GOP to flip the seat red in 2024.

Here's what Sinema's switch from Democrat to independent could mean for the Senate

Sinema's move is unlikely to change the power balance in the Senate, as it comes days after Sen. Raphael Warnock won the Georgia runoff election to give Democrats a 51-49 majority.

www.npr.org

 

[SamSpade]

It just lets her be one of the cool kids - be "independent" and all that, away from all the partisan stuff -
And still be a Democrat except in name. She gets to do her own thing without being ridiculed for being a buzzkill.

Except she's in for a rude awakening come the primaries in 2024. She'll get primaried out because she's a loose cannon, and the Dems don't want that. ALWAYS happens, especially if they ACTUALLY cross party lines.

 

[gemma_rae]

No. If just a half-dozen of your heads asploded, it would be a net gain.

It's The Itchy and Scratchy Show!

 

[Ken King]

2024. She'll get primaried out

That is why she did it. Independents don't have a primary.

 

[SamSpade]

That is why she did it. Independents don't have a primary.

Still betting she doesn't stand a chance, come 2024.

Bernie's a weird case, as an example - he often RUNS as a Democrat in the primary - and when he WINS - he runs as an independent.
And he does the same if he LOSES the primary - runs independent or progressive etc. in the general election.

Angus King on the other hand, just runs as an independent, and wins.

Despite the news, Arizona is a very conservative state - I don't see her winning anything, again.

 

[Ken King]

Still betting she doesn't stand a chance, come 2024.

Maybe, maybe not, I'm not very knowledgeable about Arizona politics. Though it seems they have been influenced by some of that California exodus. But as an Independent she won't have the money worries of a primary to deal with.