How Does Sinema's Decision to Part Ways With Democrats Affect US Political Arena?

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema independently ran for office in several local elections in the early 2000s before joining the Arizona Democrats.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema quitting the Democratic Party came as a surprise in the US political arena.

Here is everything you need to know about Sinema's change of political affiliation and the possible consequences for the Democratic Party and the US political landscape.

Independent and Green

Kyrsten began her political career by attempting to run as an independent candidate for the Phoenix City Council in 2001. This attempt ended in failure, with Kyrsten coming last in the polls.

Before her successful career began in the Democratic Party, Kyrsten tried for the Green Party in the Arizona House of Representatives. This attempt also ended in failure and last place.

However, Sinema’s affiliation with the Democratic Party, which started in 2004, has not exactly been an easy rise either.

Democrat With a Twist

According to FiveThirtyEight, during the presidency of Donald Trump, Kyrsten Sinema voted in line with Trump's position more than any other Democratic senator. Additionally, there were numerous instances of her voting against the Democratic agenda.

In 2016, Sinema was one of five House Democrats to vote for a Republican-backed bill barring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from regulating broadband rates. Her vote broke with the party line, even though then-President Obama said he would veto the bill if it was passed.

Another such instance was Sinema's decision to vote against the repeal of the so-called filibuster (a procedure in which the member(s) of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision), which dashed the Democrats' hopes of successfully approving a number of important bills. Before that, she had expressed her aversion to the filibuster rule. This behavior provoked a barrage of criticism from former Sinema supporters.

She was also against tax increases for investors, which nearly paralyzed the work of the Democrats in this area. Although the bill was eventually passed, Sinema managed to push through an adjustment that exempted an estimated $35 billion in taxes.

Non-Partisan Once Again

Despite Sinema's statement that her decision was driven by her disbelief in the partisan system, some experts claimed that she might have had other reasons. If she tries to be re-elected in 2024 without party affiliation, her independent position will basically relieve her from the primaries.

"She had a choice: either a tough primary or a tough general, and she chose a tough general."

Daniel Scarpinato

Republican political consultant

But now that Sinema is a registered independent, she is even freer to use her vote to undermine the Biden administration's political agenda.

Sinema's decision to become an independent could also make the 2024 US Senate election much more difficult for the Democrats. In the event that Sinema decides to run for re-election and face off against a Democratic candidate, left-wing voters are likely to split their ballots between the Democratic candidate and Sinema - something that could eventually be used by a Republican candidate.

Democrats might also try not to field a candidate and form some sort of alliance with Sinema instead, should she be willing to join forces with her former party.

However, it currently seems that there is bad blood between the Democrats and the Arizona senator. Sinema's former running mate Ruben Gallego, who is considered the leading candidate in the primary against her in 2024, has already criticized her decision:

"Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans," he said in a statement on Sinema’s announcement.

It looks like even after leaving the party, Sinema will not simply disappear from the Democratic political scene.