Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks Kyrsten Sinema's announcement to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent: 'She lays out no goals for Arizonans'

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • AOC mocked Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after she announced she's registered as an independent.

  • "She lays out no goals for Arizonans, no vision, no commitments," Ocasio-Cortez said.

  • Sinema is up for re-election in 2024 in Arizona.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday ripped into Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after the Arizona senator announced she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent.

"Not once in this long soliloquy does Sinema offer a single concrete value or policy she believes in," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter in response to a two-minute long video Sinema posted on Friday morning laying out her decision.

"She lays out no goals for Arizonans, no vision, no commitments," the New York Democrat continued. "It's 'no healthcare, just vibes' for Senate."

Ocasio-Cortez joins a number of Democrats who criticized Sinema on Friday over her bombshell decision to leave the party and register as an independent. The Arizona Democratic Party blasted the first-term senator, saying in a statement that her "party registration means nothing if she continues not to listen to her constituents."

Sinema's announcement comes after Democrats expanded their Senate majority in the midterm elections, allowing the party to move more quickly on legislation and nominations. Since President Joe Biden took office, Sinema has faced attacks from members of her party over her policy positions that have at times halted Democrats' agenda in the 50-50 Senate. Sinema's breaks from the party include refusing to eliminate the Senate filibuster to advance voting-rights legislation and rejecting corporate tax increases. She's experienced low approval ratings among Democrats in Arizona. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House responded to Sinema's decision on Friday by declaring the Senate's new 51-49 power balance remains unchanged.

"I believe she's a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate," Schumer said in a statement. "We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes."

"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," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

 

Two other independents in the Senate — Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — caucus with Democrats. Sinema has not explicitly said that she will do the same, though she's expected to keep her Democratic committee assignments and has stressed that she does not intend to change her approach to policy and politics.

"I'm going to be the same person I've always been. That's who I am. I'm going to show up to work. I'm going to do my best for Arizona. I'm going to continue deliver results for everyday people. Nothing's going to change for me, and I don't think anything is going to change for Arizona," Sinema said in her video on Twitter.

Sinema's party switch also comes as she is up for re-election in 2024. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a potential Senate hopeful, slammed Sinema's decision on Friday, saying, "We need Senators who will put Arizonans ahead of big drug companies and Wall Street bankers."

In her tweet, Ocasio-Cortez also weighed in on the race.

"People deserve more. Grateful this race & nomination has opened up," she wrote.

Sinema's office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider