Name: The Implications of Sen. Sinema Quitting Democrat Party
Uploaded: 2025-01-04T21:10:53.000Z
Description: Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's surprise announcement that she's left the Democrat Party raises questions about its implications for the balance of power in Washington and whether the move is more of a shock wave or merely a murmur.

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Pentagon Scraps Deployment of 4,000 Troops to Poland

9/11 Memorial and Museum Adds 7th Moment of Silence

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Launch Joint Venture to Tackle Dead Zones

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

Trump Committed to US Defense, Prosperity, Amid China Talks: Expert

Jerome Powell Ends Tenure as Fed Chair

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

California Gubernatorial Candidates Make Closing Pitches to Voters 

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Federal Judge Partly Blocks Texas Immigration Law

Trump Announces National Garden of American Heroes Plans

Top Officer: Navy Funding Could Lapse by July

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 15)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 14)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 11)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 5)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 4)

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's surprise announcement that she's left the Democrat Party raises questions about its implications for the balance of power in Washington and whether the move is more of a shock wave or merely a murmur.

Sinema's defection from the Democrat Party and registering as an Independent is certainly symbolic—with her announcement being a sharp rebuke of Washington's bitter partisan divides—but it's also substantive, multiple sources told The Epoch Times, as it narrows the Democrats' razor-thin edge in the upper chamber and makes Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) job harder.

Sinema said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/1601170136781664256">statement</a> on social media and <a href="https://eu.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/12/09/sen-kyrsten-sinema-of-arizona-why-im-registering-as-an-independent/69712395007/">op-ed</a> in the Arizona Republic that she was ditching the Democrat Party because she's fed up with what she described as a "broken partisan system in Washington" that makes a priority of denying the rival party a win rather than "delivering for all Americans."

“Everyday Americans are increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years,” she wrote in the Arizona Republic.

In a video posted on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/1601170136781664256">she insisted</a> Arizonians don't care that much about political labels and aren't asking if certain policy ideas are Republican or Democrat. Rather, they fundamentally want to see policies adopted that benefit their families and communities.

"Registering as an Independent and showing up to work with the title of Independent is a reflection of who I've always been. And it's a reflection of who Arizona is," Sinema said.

Sinema's defection was predictably criticized by some of her former Democrat colleagues, with some taking a dim view of her claim that the move means better representations of Arizonans' interests.

“Senator Sinema may now be registered as an Independent, but she has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans," the state’s Democratic party chair, Raquel Terán, said in a statement.

"Senator Sinema’s party registration means nothing if she continues to not listen to her constituents,” Terán added.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) (L) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) (C) answer questions from members of the press as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) looks on during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 28, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)


<h2>'Substantive, Not Just Symbolic'</h2>
Sinema has been a thorn in the side of some of the Democrats' more progressive policy efforts, for instance opposing ending the Senate filibuster and voting against a proposed federal minimum wage bump to $15 an hour.

The Arizona senator also withheld her support for President Joe Biden's so-called Inflation Reduction Act until she won concessions to remove the carried interest tax provision from the bill and include protections for advanced manufacturing.

But while Sinema's former Democrat colleagues like Terán and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)—who <a href="https://twitter.com/RubenGallego/status/1601243830548049920">claimed that</a> Sinema was "once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans"—sources told The Epoch Times that the move will empower Sinema to push for policies that will benefit her constituents.

Irina Tsukerman, a lawyer and president of Scarab Rising, Inc., told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that Sinema's defection gives her greater flexibility and leverage to negotiate with both parties as the Democrats' margin in the Senate has become vanishingly thin.

Democrats "will face same challenges as in the past two years in having to negotiate with Republicans and with Sinema having greater personal power and latitude, will likely have to compromise more heavily on issues involving Arizona," Tsukerman said.

"The impact of her departure will be substantive, not just symbolic," she said, insisting that Sinema's departure will force the Democrats to reconsider some of their positions on key issues, especially more radical ones like the ones around fighting climate change.

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) (R) speak during a press conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 7, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)


<h2>What It Means for the Majority</h2>
Sinema’s surprise announcement comes just days after the Democrats secured an absolute majority in the Senate following Raphael Warnock’s Georgia runoff win.

Warnock’s <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/warnock-projected-to-defeat-walker-in-hard-fought-georgia-senate-runoff-election_4908016.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victory over</a> Senate candidate Herschel Walker gave the Democrats a 51–49 margin in the upper chamber, which Sinema’s defection slims to 50–49–1.

That’s not enough for Democrats to lose control of the Senate, even if Sinema votes with Republicans for a 50–50 split, since Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.

A key factor will be whether Sinema caucuses with the Democrats, which remains unclear, as she said she would not be caucusing with the Republicans.

Aron Solomon, the head of strategy at Esquire Digital, contends that “this is very far from over.”

"From a practical perspective, we’re at 50–50 again," Solomon told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

"No way the Dems can count on someone who is going to sit with the independents, especially when, unlike Sanders and among, she can’t be counted on to caucus with them," he added.

Two other senators—Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine—are registered independents but caucus with Democrats.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks in Washington in a file photograph. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)


<h2>'Nothing Will Change About My Values'</h2>
For her part, Sinema suggested in her interview with <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/09/sinema-arizona-senate-independent-00073216?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f0f5-dd93-ad7f-f8f50e980000&nlid=630318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> that she would continue to vote in the same way she has for her first four years serving as a senator from Arizona.

“Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,” she told the outlet but added that she won’t attend weekly Democrat caucus meetings.

Asked about how her defection affects the distribution of votes, Sinema told Politico it’s not a question she’s “interested in,” preferring to focus instead on working across the aisle.

“I want people to see that it is possible to do good work with folks from all different political persuasions, and to do it without the pressures or the poles of a party structure,” she told the outlet.

Sinema's defection came a day after Schumer was elected for another term as Senate Democrat Leader. In a statement, Schumer said that Sinema would be keeping her committee assignments.

"She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed," Schumer said.

"I believe she's a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate," he continued.

"We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes," Schumer added.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks at a press conference on the Senate Democrats expanded majority for the next 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Dec. 7, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But despite Schumer's apparent confidence that it'll be business as usual on Capitol Hill despite Sinema's defection, Solomon insisted that her departure "takes all the wind out of their sails."

"This defection is nothing but a Dem loss—they really lose face here," he added.

Amani Wells-Onyioha, operations director at a Democrat-aligned political consulting and campaigning agency, expressed a similar sentiment, telling The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that her leaving "unfortunately does make the majority less stable."

"It does tic away at our majority so that is the biggest consequence here," she added. "Kamala will have to be used as a tie breaker if the Democrats do try to push any major legislation forward."

At the same time Wells-Onyioha said Sinema's defection should be viewed by Democrats as a "relief" so that "we can finally stop pretending that Sinema is an ally or party mate to us in any way."
<h2>‘Continue to Work Successfully’ With Sinema</h2>
The White House reacted to Sinema’s announcement by calling her a “key partner” in efforts to pass “historic legislation” under President Joe Biden’s watch while expressing hope she’d continue to work with the current administration.

“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 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/09/statement-by-white-house-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a statement</a>.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a daily press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Oliver Contreras/Getty Images)

Sinema’s defection represents the first party switch in the Senate for over a decade. The last switch was when Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter left the Republican party and joined the Democrats in 2009.

Specter's switch came at a particularly challenging time for the Republicans as his defection gave the Democrat caucus 59 votes, a single vote away from the margin needed to defeat GOP filibusters.

While Specter's switch was a blow to Republicans, he insisted at the time that he would "not be an automatic 60th vote."

“I would illustrate that with my position on employee choice, also known as card check. I think it’s a bad deal and I’m opposed to it. I will not vote to impose cloture," he said in April 2009. "If the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not vote with them.”

Sinema's departure also raises questions about whether other Senators might defect, which could shift the balance of power in the upper chamber.

There's been speculation that another maverick, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), might also leave the Democrat party.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, presides over a hearing on battery technology, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)


<h2>Take an Independent Path</h2>
Schumer was asked by CNBC's Rachel Maddow in an interview in mid November whether he was confident that neither Sinema nor Manchin would switch parties in the future.

"I've disagreed with them strongly ... but they've kept being Democrats. It would have been easy for them to do it in the past," he said at the time.

Schumer called Manchin "a progressive" on certain issues, including prescription drugs, and insisted that neither "would be comfortable in the Republican Party."

Manchin, along with Sinema, has kept Washington in suspense over the last two years as both have repeatedly withheld their needed votes for legislative initiatives spearheaded by Biden.

Like Sinema, Manchin withheld his support for the Inflation Reduction Act until he secured a number of concessions, including ones that would reduce the bill’s impact on public debt.

Despite long-running speculation that Manchin might switch his political affiliation, several political strategists familiar with West Virginia politics <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/joe-manchin-next-strategists-west-205443632.html">told Fox News</a> they believe a Manchin defection is highly unlikely.

Wells-Onyioha agrees, adding further that she doesn't "foresee any other Democrats defecting."

"Whether Manchin will follow the same path remains unclear," she told The Epoch Times. "However, he is the only one in the Democratic party who has the most incentive to do so with a significant Republican constituency to worry about."

Another question that has been raised is what Sinema's defection means for her staff.

When Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey switched in 2019 and expressed his "undying support" for then President Donald Trump, five staffers left his office.

It's unclear whether any of Sinema's staff members may be mulling a similar move.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-implications-of-sen-sinema-quitting-democrat-party_4914341.html">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Videos

Politics

04_Top Stories

Democrats

Latest Clips

sinema

Management

Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.

Tom Ozimek

Jessica Beatty

02_Second Lead

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.