Senator Kyrsten Sinema Announces She Is Leaving Democrat Party, Registering Independent

On Friday, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) announced that she was leaving the Democratic party and registering as an independent due to the “disconnect between what everyday Americans want and deserve from our politics, and what political parties are offering.”

Sinema made the announcement in an opinion piece for the Arizona Republic.

“While Arizonans don’t all agree on the issues, we are united in our values of hard work, common sense and independence,” she wrote. “We make our own decisions, using our own judgment and lived experiences to form our beliefs. 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.”

“Everyday Americans are increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years,” Sinema added. “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… Americans are more united than the national parties would have us believe. We’ve shown that a diverse democracy can still function effectively.”

“Arizonans – including many registered as Democrats or Republicans – are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine,” she continued. “But if the loudest, most extreme voices continue to drive each party toward the fringes – and if party leaders stay more focused on energizing their bases than delivering for all Americans – these kinds of lasting legislative successes will become rarer.”

“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,” she concluded. “I registered as an Arizona independent.”

Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration responded to the news in a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“Senator Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months, from the American Rescue Plan to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the CHIPS and Science Act, from the PACT Act to the Gun Safety Act to the Respect for Marriage Act, and more,” the statement said. “We understand that her decision to register as an independent in Arizona does not change the new Democratic majority control of the Senate, and we have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.”