Sinema leaves the Democratic Party and registers as an independent | Daily News Byte

By Jeremy Herb, CNN

(CNN) — Arizona Sen. Kirsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive TV interview.

“I registered as an independent from Arizona. I know some people might be a little surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Sinema told Tapper in an interview Thursday in her Senate office.

“I’ve never neatly fit into any entertainment box. I’ve never tried. I don’t want to,” she added. “By removing myself from the partisan structure – not only is it true who I am and how I work, but I think it will provide a place of belonging for many people across the state and country who are also tired of partisanship.”

It is unlikely that Sinem’s departure from the Democratic Party will change the balance of power in the next Senate. Democrats will have a narrow 51-49 majority that includes two independent lawmakers who are meeting with them: Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine.

While Sanders and King are formally aligning themselves with Democrats, Sinema declined to explicitly say she would do the same. She noted, however, that she expects to keep her committee assignments — a signal that she has no plans to reshuffle the Senate, since Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer controls the committee slates for Democrats.

“When I come to work every day, it’s going to be the same,” Sinema said. “I will continue to come to work and I hope to serve on the same committees I have served on and continue to work well with my colleagues in both political parties.”

But Sinema’s decision to become a political independent formalizes what has long been an independent streak for the Arizona senator, who began her political career as a member of the Green Party before being elected as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives in 2012 and the US Senate in 2018. Sinema was proud by being a thorn in the side of Democratic leaders, and her new nonpartisan affiliation will further free her to embrace anti-grain status in the Senate, though it raises new questions about how she — and Senate Democrats — will approach her re-election in 2024 as liberals already they think about the challenge.

Sinema wrote an op-ed in The Arizona Republic published Friday explaining her decision, noting that her approach in the Senate “has upset supporters in both parties.”

“When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition victory than improving the lives of Americans, the people who lose are everyday Americans,” Sinema wrote.

“That’s why I’ve joined the growing number of Arizonans rejecting partisan politics by declaring their independence from the broken partisan system in Washington.”

Sinema is up for re-election in 2024 and Arizona liberals already have potential challengers, including Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, who said earlier this year that some Democratic senators were urging him to run against Sinema.

“Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement after Sinema’s announcement.

Sinema declined to answer questions about her re-election bid in an interview with Tapper, saying it’s simply not her focus right now.

She also dismissed criticism she may face for her decision to leave the Democratic Party.

“I’m just not worried about people who might not like this approach,” Sinema said. “What I’m concerned about is continuing to do what’s good for my country. And there are people who certainly don’t like my approach, we hear a lot about that. But the proof is in the pudding.”

Many Democrats are dismissive of the news of Sinema’s announcement

White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre called Sinema a “key partner” after her decision and said the White House has “every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.”

Sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that Sinema has informed the White House that she is leaving the Democratic Party. Schumer said in a statement that he was also aware of Sinema’s bombshell announcement on Friday morning.

“She asked me to keep her assignments on the board and I agreed,” Schumer said. “Kirsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been. I believe she is a good and effective senator and I look forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate.

Schumer also said he did not expect Sinema’s decision to affect Democrats’ plans for next year, saying in a statement: “We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power and be able to approve nominees without a dismissal vote.” .

The Biden White House offered a muted response Friday morning and insisted they expect to continue to have a productive working relationship with the senator.

One White House official told CNN the move “doesn’t change much” beyond Sinema’s own re-election calculations.

“We’ve worked with her effectively on many important pieces of legislation, from CHIPS to the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” the official said. The White House, for now, has “every reason to expect that to continue,” they added.

Cinema has long been the source of a complex convergence of opportunity, frustration, and confusion within the White House.

“A Rubik’s Cube, I guess?” is how one former senior White House official described the Arizona senator who played a central role in President Joe Biden’s biggest legislative victories as well as some of his biggest agenda disappointments.

There was no major effort to change Sinema’s mind, the White House official said, noting that it would not have made a difference.

“Nothing about the last two years suggests that a major effort would help — quite the opposite,” a White House official said.

The most pressing short-term effort was to quietly figure out what that meant for their newly expanded Senate majority, officials said.

While details about the process were still tight, “I think people let out a sigh of relief when we got a better understanding of what she meant,” said one source familiar with the discussion.

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota told “CNN This Morning” that “Senator Sinema has always had an independent streak,” adding that “I don’t think this is going to shake things up like everyone thinks.”

She added: “Senator Sinema was independent for all intents and purposes.”

‘It’s OK if some people don’t like that approach’

Sinema and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin have angered liberals at various points over the past two years, standing in the way of Biden’s agenda at a time when Democrats controlled the House, Senate and White House.

Sinema and Manchin have used their clout in the current 50-50 Senate — where any single Democrat could derail a bill — to influence a slew of legislation, most notably the massive $3.5 trillion Build Back Better bill that Biden proposed last year . Sinema’s objections to the corporate tax rate hike during the initial round of negotiations on the bill last year particularly upset the Liberals.

Although Sinema was blindsided by the surprise deal Manchin struck with Schumer in July on major health care and energy bills, she ended up supporting a smaller spending package that Biden signed before the election.

Both Manchin and Sinema have also opposed Senate rule changes, despite pressure from their Senate colleagues and Biden to change them. After voting against the filibuster changes in January, the Arizona Democratic Party’s executive committee condemned Sinema.

Cinema has been at the center of several landmark bipartisan bills passed since Biden took office. She pointed to that record as evidence that her approach was effective.

“I’ve been honored to lead historic efforts, from infrastructure, to gun violence prevention, to protecting religious freedom and helping LGBT families feel safe, to CHIP legislation and science to the work we’ve done on veterans’ issues,” she told CNN. “The list is really long. And so I think the results speak for themselves. It’s okay if some people don’t like that approach.”

Sinema’s announcement comes just days after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won re-election in Georgia, giving Democrats the 51st Senate seat that frees them from relying on the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sinema declined to address questions about whether he would support Biden for president in 2024, and also said he was not considering whether a strong third party should emerge in the US.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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