Sinema's switch is a come-to-Jesus moment for Arizona Republicans

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema just delivered a badly needed shot in the arm to the reeling Arizona Republican Party.

In becoming an independent, Sinema has cleared the way for Republicans to retake a Senate seat they once owned.That is, if the Republicans have learned the lessons of 2018. And 2020. And 2022.

And let’s face it, that’s a pretty big if.

Sinema’s Friday announcement that she’s defecting from the Democrats shouldn’t come as any huge surprise.The progressive wing of the Democratic Party has long despised her for doing exactly what she said she would do when she campaigned for the job. Not even a year ago, her own (now former) party censured her for refusing to get rid of the filibuster.

In fact, Sinema’s centrist approach was the secret sauce that allowed her in 2018 to narrowly defeat Republican Martha McSally, who hopped into Donald Trump’s hip pocket on the day she announced for the Senate.

Many groups view Sinema unfavorably

Sinema’s move to independent is genius, really.

She knows she won’t be winning back the hearts and minds of Democratic voters, not with Rep. Ruben Gallego waiting in the wings to challenge her in 2024.

She could run as an independent, needing just a plurality of votes to win a three-way race. But that’s a tall order.

Consider the results of a recent AARP poll, which showed her underwater with just every group. Women. Men. Republicans. Democrats. Independents. Hispanic voters. White voters. Young voters. Old voters. College graduates. Non-college graduates.

Another view:Sinema rejects Democrats' phony diversity ... for good

Sinema is viewed unfavorably by all of them.

More likely, Sinema will finish out her term — in the spotlight, of course — then cash in with Big Pharma or some private equity firm. Former senators, especially those who leave on their own terms, can pretty much write their own tickets to millionaire-land.

Republicans have a golden goose, if they don't kill it

Republicans have got to be thrilled with Sinema's defection.

Coming off disastrous election losses in 2022, they now are presented with a chance to scoop up the golden egg in 2024 — if only they don’t prematurely lop off the head of the goose.

Which is entirely possible, should they continue to do as they did this year and nominate terrible candidates.

Democrats like to portray their victory in all of the major state races this year as Arizona turning blue. Really, it was more about Arizona turning against Trump and his hand-picked slate of extremists.

For the third time, in the case of the Senate race. (See losses by the Trump-endorsed McSally in 2018 and 2020 and by the Trump-endorsed Blake Masters in 2022.)

To win in 2024, Republicans must undergo a full-on makeover.

The party of Kari Lake will not win

If it isn’t clear to rank-and-file Republicans by now, it should be.

The party of Kari Lake, Kelli Ward, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar is not a winning party. Not in a state where a third of voters are independents — where even moderate Republicans hold their nose and vote for the Democrats.

This is a come-to-Jesus moment for Arizona Republicans and it starts right now.

Do they reject the fringe crowd that in recent years has transformed the party of the big tent into the party of the pup tent?

Can they give up their obsession with stolen elections and culture wars and rotten RINOs and return to talking about the traditional conservative principles that allowed them to pretty much run the state ... until Trump came along?

If not, Democrats should be all smiles today.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyrsten Sinema offers a come-to-Jesus moment for Arizona Republicans