Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Friday that she has registered as an independent, but she does not plan to side with the Republican caucus, which will allow Democrats to keep their narrow majority in the Senate.
Ms. Sinema said she was “declaring [son] independence” from Washington’s partisan system.
The senator, who draws inspiration from the heretical approach of her predecessor in Arizona, the late Sen. John McCain, often antagonized fellow Democrats with her openness to Republicans and opposition to Democratic priorities.
She wrote in thearizona republic that she ran for politics promising “to be independent, to work with anyone to get lasting results” and not to “demonize people with whom [elle] disagrees. »
She added that her approach is “rare in Washington and has upset supporters in both parties,” but “has delivered lasting results for Arizona.”
Democrats were expected to hold a 51-49 Senate lead in January following Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory Tuesday in Georgia’s runoff election. The Senate is now split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris the deciding vote for the Democrats.
Senator Sinema confided in an interview with Politico that she would not side with the Republican caucus and that she planned to continue voting as she has done since winning election to the Senate in 2018 after three terms in the House.
“Nothing will change in my values or my behavior,” she assured.
She faces re-election in 2024 and is expected to go up against a well-funded Democratic primary candidate, given that she has frustrated the Democratic base for blocking or watering down the party’s progressive priorities, including rising minimum wage. Ms Sinema has not said whether she will stand for re-election.
The main rival of the senator could be the representative Ruben Gallego, who would not be in his first battle against her.