Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced why she was registering as an independent as an opinion contributor on azcentral.com.
She said there’s a disconnect between what every day Americans want and deserve from what political parties are offering.
She said Arizonans expect our leaders to set aside political games, work together, make progress, and then get out of the way so we can build better lives for ourselves and our families.
She said every day Americans are increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years. Pressures in both parties pull leaders to the edges, allowing the loudest, most extreme voices to determine their respective parties’ priorities and expecting the rest of us to fall in line.
In catering to the fringes, neither party has demonstrated much tolerance for diversity of thought. Bipartisan compromise is seen as a rarely acceptable last resort, rather than the best way to achieve lasting progress. Payback against the opposition party has replaced thoughtful legislating.
She said, Arizonans – including many registered as Democrats or Republicans – are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine.
In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/jUQHAeuxym
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022
Over the past four years, I’ve worked proudly with other Senators in both parties and forged consensus on successful laws helping everyday Arizonans build better lives for themselves and their families. 2/3
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022
Becoming an Independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same. Read my full Op-ed in the Arizona Republic 3/3 ⬇️https://t.co/P2JQXFT5IJ
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022
BREAKING: Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independenthttps://t.co/CgSSbjD11z
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 9, 2022
The Washington Examiner’s Samantha-Jo Roth reported that Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to switch her party affiliation from Democrat to independent created a post-midterm shake-up in the Senate, threatening to complicate the Democrats’ chances of having an outright majority after Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff win over Herschel Walker in Georgia gave Democrats their 51st seat in the next session of Congress.
Sinema has been a US Senator since January 3, 2019.
She was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona’s 9th District from January 3, 2013 to January 3, 2019.
She was a Member of the Arizona Senate from the 15th District from January 10, 2011 to January 3, 2012.
She was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 15th District from January 10, 2005 to January 10, 2011.
She was a member of the Green Party prior to 2004 and then became a member of the Democratic Party from 2004 to 2022.