Sinema Won’t Rule Out Voting for A Republican Over Biden in 2024
Arizona senator continues frustrating Democrats
Sen Kyrsten Sinema keeps finding ways to irritate Democrats.
The senator from Arizona, who's spent nearly two years now, as a regular thorn in the side of much of President Biden's domestic agenda, just this week pulled the rug out from ascendant Democrats by declaring that she would no longer identify as a Democrat, and instead would continue to serve in Senate as an independent.
And Sinema, who was elected in 2018 as Arizona's first Democratic senator in a generation, also now won't commit to supporting President Biden if he runs for reelection in 2024.
Sinema's been so uncooperative with supporting Democratic priorities that the state Arizona Democratic Party took the highly unusual step of censuring her early this year.
She had even drawn a threat of a Democratic primary if she runs for reelection in two years. Now Rep Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), instead, is seen as the top Democrat to run against the independent Sinema.
Now that Sinema's abandoned the Democratic Party, she has said that she would continue to receive her committee assignments from Senate Democrats.
Sinema's new alignment puts the Democratic majority in the Senate perhaps back in a bit more precarious position. Democrats won a big victory with Sen Raphael Warnock's reelection which set Democrats up with their first outright majority since Biden's presidency began.
Sinema's new independent status now puts a pall over that achievement.
And, in an on-camera interview with CNN shown Friday, the Arizona senator refused to commit to supporting a Biden reelection bid.
“I always make my decision based on who I think is right for our country, who is the best person for the job. And it doesn’t matter to me much whether that person is affiliated with any party or which party they’re affiliated with,” she said. “What matters to me is the quality of the person and whether or not he or she is the right person for that job.”
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