White House, political world in Arizona, US react to Sinema party change

The White House said it expects to maintain productive relations with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after the Arizona independent defected from the Democratic Party on Friday.

The statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised Sinema’s legislative work and could signal the way the party’s leaders approach a new and still-fragile dynamic in the Senate.

“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,” Jean-Pierre 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.”

Sinema announced her switch in an opinion piece published in The Arizona Republic.

She plans to caucus with Democrats, giving the party an edge on committee seats, something that could prove especially important to moving quickly on judicial nominations. But Sinema will remain uninvolved in party leadership votes and advancing the party’s broader efforts.

She declined to say whether she plans to seek a second term in 2024.

Her move sent shock waves across the political establishment, from those in Washington assessing its impact on Congress in the next two years to people in Arizona who could face the prospect of a three-way Senate race in 2024.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., similarly downplayed the effect of Sinema's change.

“Senator Sinema informed me of her decision to change her affiliation to Independent. She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed,” he said in a statement.

“Kyrsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been. I believe she’s a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate. We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes.”

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., has long been eyed as a potential primary challenger for Sinema.

“She saw the writing on the wall that her pathway in terms of winning a Democratic primary was closed. But overall, I think her pathway is closed altogether,” he said. “I think Arizonans want someone who is delivering for them.”

Gallego said he suspects Sinema saw she had disappointed many Democrats and could not recover from that.

He declined to discuss his own plans.

“I’ve said time and time again this is a 2023 decision,” he said. “Let’s stand by.”

Previously:Ruben Gallego campaign teases Senate challenge to Kyrsten Sinema, raises money off idea

A spokesman for Sinema’s seatmate, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said he declined to comment.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., who has represented Sinema’s former House district since she moved to the Senate, said she didn’t stand with Democrats but left to save her political career, while suggesting he was contemplating a move of his own.

In a pair of scathing tweets, he said Democrats have never stood with pharmaceutical companies or hedge fund managers, industries that avoided stiffer pricing limits and tax hikes with her help in recent bills.

Her “decision isn’t about a post-partisan epiphany, it’s about political preservation. Her recent statewide primary polling must be the same as mine,” Stanton wrote.

He included figures that showed him topping out at 58%, while she reached 17%. It was unclear whether that was a head-to-head vote potential share or something else.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said he was not surprised that Sinema bolted after Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., won his runoff and ensured Democrats’ hold on the Senate for the next two years.

“That shifted the center of the universe over in the Senate. Sinema was comfortably at that center. … She’s not in the power position to extract change and demand things that she was previously. She’s still there, still has influence. But not to the degree that she had.”

Grijalva said the change does “make things interesting for 2024.”

He said she would be “formidable” if she runs, as he expects.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., whom Sinema has long called a friend, said in comments to Newsmax that being independent could be “a better home for her.”

“She’s often worked with myself and other Republicans on legislation that she thought was good just because she thought it was good. That’s really kind of her M.O,” he said. “It’s not particularly a surprise to me.”

Immigration:Sinema works on bipartisan immigration deal to protect Dreamers, extend Title 42

Arizona Democratic Party chair: Sinema 'doesn’t tend to her true constituents'

Raquel Terán, chairwoman of the Arizona Democratic Party, praised Sinema for important job-related legislation, but said she failed the state in other ways and doesn’t tend to her true constituents.

“Democrats have shown Arizonans they are guided by Arizona values above all else. Democrats know that all Arizonans want good-paying jobs, an equitable economy, and a chance at a better future. Through several pieces of historic legislation and Senator Sinema’s help, Democrats have made huge headway on delivering that for Arizonans.

“However, Arizonans also need their voting rights protected and corporations to pay their fair share. Unfortunately in those areas, Senator Sinema has fallen dramatically short leaving Arizonans behind. As a party, we welcome Independent voters and their perspectives. Senator Sinema may now be registered as an Independent, but she has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans. Senator Sinema’s party registration means nothing if she continues to not listen to her constituents.”

Change for Arizona 2024, a political action committee known on Twitter as Primary Sinema, said their antagonist finally revealed herself to all.

“Today, Kyrsten Sinema told us what we’ve already known for years: she’s not a Democrat, and she’s simply out for herself,” the organization said in a statement.

“For the last year, we’ve been laying the groundwork to defeat Kyrsten Sinema because Arizonans deserve a Senator who cares about them, and not special interests. In one way, Sinema just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn’t win. Now, we’ll beat her in the general election with a real Democrat.”

Party switch changes dynamics for 2024 Senate race

Others tried to make sense of what Sinema’s move will mean for the state’s 2024 Senate race.

Nate Silver, founder of the politics website FiveThirtyEight, rejected the idea that Sinema’s change makes Republicans more likely to pick up the seat in the next election because she will cut into Democratic votes.

“I wouldn't assume this at all, she's no more popular with Democrats than Republicans,” he said in a pair of tweets. “Particularly if Republicans nominate someone wacky like Kari Lake again, Sinema could be an off-ramp for moderate Republicans.”

Rick Wilson, a former Republican consultant and member of the Lincoln Project, sneered at Sinema’s future prospects.

“Karen Sinema. You know a Fox news gig is somewhere in her future,” he tweeted.

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: White House, political world in AZ, US react to Sinema party change