Orlando Florida - 06/08/2019 -Congresswoman Kyrsten Lea Sinema giving her speech at Blue Gala for the Florida Democratic Party
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AZ Senator Sinema quits Democratic Party, shaking up Senate

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has often leaned moderate, announced she is quitting the Democratic Party and changing her affiliation to Independent, further narrowing the Democrats’ majority in the Senate.

AZ Senator Sinema quits Democratic Party, becomes Independent

In an op-ed article published in AZCentral on Friday, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema explained: “Why I’m registering as an Independent.”

“There’s a disconnect between what everyday Americans want and deserve from our politics, and what political parties are offering,” Sinema began. “While Arizonans don’t all agree on the issues, we are united in our values of hard work, common sense and independence.”

“We make our own decisions, using our own judgment and lived experiences to form our beliefs,” Sinema continued. “We don’t line up to do what we’re told, automatically subscribe to whatever positions the national political parties dictate or view every issue through labels that divide us.”

“Arizonans expect our leaders to follow that example – 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,” Sinema added. “It’s no surprise that Washington, D.C., often fails to reflect that expectation…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.”

“I work proudly with senators in both parties who have similarly rejected political extremes and forged consensus, helping drain some of the poison from today’s politics,” Sinema declared. “When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition party a victory than they are on improving Americans’ lives, the people who lose are everyday Americans.” 

“That’s why I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington,” Sinema concluded. “I registered as an Arizona independent.”

What Sinema’s departure means for Democrats in the Senate

In an interview with Politico, Sen. Sinema said she will not caucus with Republicans and suggested that she intends to vote the same way she has always voted in the Senate.

“Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,” Sinema said.

“I’ve never fit neatly into any party box,” Sinema said in an interview with CNN. “I’ve never really tried. I don’t want to.”

“Removing myself from the partisan structure – not only is it true to who I am and how I operate,” Sinema added, “I also think it’ll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country, who also are tired of the partisanship.”

Democrats will hold majority, but Manchin has key swing vote

Sinema’s departure from the Democratic Party will still leave Democrats with a 50-49 advantage over Republicans in the next Congress. The party should still have the votes to control Senate committees.

However, it means that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who along with Sinema often voted against progressive Democrat agendas, will still hold a pivotal swing vote while retaining some but not all of his outsized influence in the Democratic Congress, according to Politico.