Sen. Kyrsten Sinema‘s decision to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent in Arizona is unlikely to upend the political equilibrium in the Senate. But her announcement could add new complications to the 2024 race in her increasingly purple home state.
“Americans are more united than the national parties would have us believe,” Sinema wrote in an op-ed published Friday in the Arizona Republic. “Arizonans — including many registered as Democrats or Republicans — are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine.”
Her announcement comes three days after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia won a runoff election that gave Democrats a 51-seat majority — including independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — in the 118th Congress, which starts on Jan. 3.
