According to reports online, the Arizona Democratic Party has approved a resolution calling for a nationwide rejection by Democrats of Kyrsten Sinema, the incumbent Senator in Arizona up for re-election next year who was originally elected as a Democrat but has since changed her partisan affiliation to independent.
It’s not just that. Throughout her time in office, where she’s still in her first term, Sinema has consistently either directly or indirectly obstructed Democrats’ legislative agenda. Her support for the filibuster rules as they stand in the Senate has been among the most prominent examples of this, since she therefore helped ensure that Republicans, despite holding only a minority of the chamber’s seats, could control what the Democratic majority has been doing. (Under the disputed rules, 60 votes out of 100 are normally needed for moving forward on legislative initiatives.) She’s also helped secure special favors for those who don’t need the treatment, like her insistence on preserving more favorable tax rules around income made by some in private equity investments. Adding even more to the list of controversies, she’s also opposed basic progress like a federally established minimum wage of $15 an hour.
Since she’s now an independent, Sinema could get on the ballot next November without needing to go through any primary election. Among Democrats, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has already announced a prominent campaign to replace Sinema. The “Arizona Democratic Party does hereby call upon Democrats nationwide at every level, from grassroots activists and small donors to national party leaders, members of Congress and the Biden administration, large donors, and campaign and political institutions to pledge to support the winner of the Arizona Democratic primary for the United States Senate in 2024,” per the resolution’s text. It’s not yet entirely clear Sinema intends to run for another term, but polling suggests she’d lose — by a lot — on the general election ballot in 2024 alongside a Democrat and Republican.
BREAKING: By an overwhelming vote, the Arizona Democratic Party just passed a resolution calling on Democrats nationwide — from grassroots activists to party leaders — to pledge to support the winner of the Democratic primary to replace Kyrsten Sinema.
Sinema must go. pic.twitter.com/mwhNIMIXhI
— Kai Newkirk (@kai_newkirk) April 22, 2023
Image: Gage Skidmore/ Creative Commons
