Senator Kyrsten Sinema has left the Democratic Party and registered as an Independent. She made the announcement on Friday in an op-ed in the Arizona Republic.
Political consultant Constantin Querard discusses the decision by Senator Kyrsten Sinema to leave the Democrat Part https://t.co/0JQ3ruUZkL
— James T Harris (@JamesTHarris) December 9, 2022
When former Democratic presidential candidate and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard came to Arizona to stump for Republicans it signaled the sea change occurring across the country. Gabbard became an instant icon for many Independents when she announced she was leaving the Democratic Party.
Sinema, like Gabbard, cited increasingly partisan interests and radicalization of both political parties as the reason for her departure.
“Americans are told that we have only two choices – Democrat or Republican – and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes,” Sinema wrote in the op-ed.
“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different,” continued Sinema. “I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political drama.”
Sinema took a shot at Rep. Ruben Gallego, who was expected to challenger her in the Democratic Party’s senate primary.
“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,” Sinema wrote in the op-ed.
She added, “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. I registered as an Arizona independent. ”
Rep. Ruben Gallego’s PAC screeched back this morning, “Today, Kyrsten Sinema told us what we’ve already known for years: she’s not a Democrat, and she’s simply out for herself. For the last year, we’ve been laying the groundwork to defeat Kyrsten Sinema because Arizonans deserve a Senator who cares about them, and not special interests. In one way, Sinema just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn’t win.”
Currently there are more registered Independents in Arizona than Democrats:
Voter Registration Statistics
| Party Name | Registered Voters | Percent |
| Republican | 1,434,838 | 34.52% |
| Democratic | 1,287,179 | 30.97% |
| Other | 1,401,450 | 33.72% |
| Libertarian | 32,600 | 0.78% |
| Total | 4,156,067 |
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