Biden’s State of the State: A Baby’s Play in the Ubiquity of the Legislature, a Supporter of the Arizona Democratic Party

A close ally of Sinema told me that she saw her becoming an independent, but still participating with the Democrats. I think the final divorce is when she doesn’t run.

“In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally becoming an Arizona Independent,” she said.

In an interview with the website, Sinema stated, “I don’t anticipate that anything will change relative to the Senate structure.” And there’s good reason to believe her. She has supported the positions of the President in his first two years in office with the exception of some notable dissents.

Sinema has been in the middle of several significant bipartisan bills that were passed since Biden took office. She pointed to that record as evidence that her approach has been an effective one.

“When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition party a victory than they are on improving Americans’ lives, the people who lose are everyday Americans,” Sinema wrote.

Of course, two years is an eternity in politics. The polls can change. Maybe Sinema sees a way forward, by forming an alliance of disaffected Republicans and Democrats. But such a path would be logistically and politically complicated.

Sinema said that she was not concerned about people who might not like the approach. “What I am worried about is continuing to do what’s right for my state. And there are folks who certainly don’t like my approach, we hear about it a lot. The proof is in the pudding.

The Senate was under pressure to alter the filibuster rules but both Manchin and Sinema were opposed to it. After a vote against filibuster changes in January, the Arizona Democratic Party’s executive board censured Sinema.

While Sinema was blindsided by the surprise deal that Manchin cut with Schumer in July on major health care and energy legislation, she ultimately backed the smaller spending package that Biden signed into law before the election.

Why did Senator Sinema win the First Senitive Primary in a Two-Year Voting Referendum on American Progress?

“I’ve been honored to lead historic efforts, from infrastructure, to gun violence prevention, to protecting religious liberty and helping LGBT families feel secure, to the CHIPs and science bill to the work we’ve done on veterans’ issues,” she told CNN. “The list is really long. I think that the results speak for themselves. It’s OK if some people aren’t comfortable with that approach.”

The Democrats were happy that the result meant they had a majority in the US Senate for the first time in two years. A shadow of uncertainty is cast by Sinema’s declaration.

In making her announcement, Sinema gave no hint of her future plans. And rather than a re-positioning for future races, it may well be a prelude to a career change for a politician without a partisan home.

Over the last two years, she and fellow moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Machin of West Virginia have been criticized as standing in the way of President Biden’s agenda by regularly holding up or objecting to parts of key legislation, as was the case with Democrats’ key budget package.

She admitted in Friday’s article that her approach is rare in Washington and that she has upset both Democrats and Republicans. “It is a approach that has proven to be more effective than many other approaches for Arizona.”

More than most of her colleagues, Sinema has worked easily across party lines in the Senate, helping to forge significant bipartisan legislation on a variety of issues, including infrastructure, gun control and most recently, same-sex marriage.

She listed several areas in which her position and priorities remain steadfast, examples being that a woman’s health care decision should be between her and her doctor, and that her work to “secure the southern border, ensure fair and humane treatment for migrants and permanently protect ‘Dream’.

“If anyone supported me because of my promise to be loyal to a partisan agenda, or for those who think that our state should be represented by partisans that push divisive, negative politics, then there are other reasons,” he said.

The Anatomy of an Arizona Senator: The Case against a Republican-Leaning-Centric Senator with an Unusual Political Style

David Axerod, a senior CNN political commentator and host of “The Axe Files,” was once a senior adviser to President Barack Obama. His own opinions are included in this commentary. View more opinion on CNN.

Whether through her colorful and flamboyant attire or the keep-them-guessing, idiosyncratic politics that drives many of her Democratic colleagues nuts, the Arizona senator knows how to make a splash.

It was on Friday that she announced that she was leaving the party and would be using her new name as an independent.

As it is, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer relies on the votes of two other senators who caucus with Democrats but are technically independents – Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an icon of the progressive left, and Angus King, a moderate from Maine. Sinema now joins their ranks.

In keeping with her practice of standing out by standing apart, Sinema’s declaration seems to be about hyperpartisanship and not the institution changing its position.

It was commendable that both sides were willing to make compromises, but in today’s divided party politics, there are very few political incentives for bipartisanship.

Arizona has a history of electing mavericks in the image of the late Republican Sen. John McCain. Sinema has a quirky political style which may affect her independence. In that same September poll, a small majority of independent votes gave her poor ratings.

She theatrically turned down a Senate vote to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which was the end of her party’s base. She chose to remove herself from the concerns of working-class Arizonans when she skipped votes to participate in the triathlons or intern at a winery, and it served only to cement her reputation as a progressive who cared about the plight of working class Arizonans.

One of the groups that worked to getMs. Sinema elected confronted her at Arizona State University. When Ms. Sinema entered the bathroom, she was followed by activists who demanded that she explain why she had not done more to push for a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants. The protesters said they took action because Ms.Sinema did not hold any town-hall meetings. Protesters have also chased her through airports and followed her into a high-priced fund-raising event at an upscale resort.

“We are not surprised that she would once again center herself,” said Alejandra Gomez, the executive director of LUCHA. “This is another unfortunate, selfish act. She betrayed voters that elected her as a democrat, and she turned her back on those who voted for her.

“I love that she’s going to be even freer now to just do the right thing,” said Tammy Caputi, a Scottsdale City Council member who is herself a political independent, adding that Ms. Sinema had long been leery of being “straitjacketed by partisan politics.”