Kyrsten Sinema Leaves Democratic Party And Shifts Affiliation To Independent
deadline.comSenator Kyrsten Sinema jolted Democratic hopes of obtaining a clear majority in the next Congress when she announced on Friday that she has switched her party affiliation to independent. “Like a lot of Arizonans, I have never fit perfectly in either national party,” she wrote in an op ed in the Arizona Republic. “Become an independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same.” Sinema’s move comes days after Sen.
Raphael Warnock (D-GA) won reelection, giving Democrats a 51-49 majority. Sinema told Politico that she does not plan to caucus with Republicans.
Democrats count two independents as part of their caucus — Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Angus King of Maine — and there were reports that Sinema plans to maintain her committee assignments controlled by the party.
Even without her vote, the Senate would be tied, leaving it to Vice President Kamala Harris to break it. In an exclusive interview on Thursday in her Senate office, Sinema told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “I’ve never fit neatly into any party box.
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