David Axelrod writes that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party is more of a statement about hyperpartisanship than an institution-shifting change of position.
Kyrsten Sinema always has had a flair for the dramatic.
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.
She did that again Friday, with her announcement that she is leaving the party and registering as an independent – disrupting the warm afterglow Senate Democrats were feeling following Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection victory in Georgia.
Democrats were gleeful that Warnock’s victory appeared to give them a 51st vote after two years of a 50-50 split in the US Senate. Sinema’s declaration casts a shadow of uncertainty on the Democrats’ celebratory moment.
But if Sinema’s decision rained on the Democrats’ parade, it seems more a drizzle than a downpour. The practical effect in the next Congress is likely to be slight. She told CNN that she hopes to keep her committee assignments and continue business as usual.
In an interview with Politico, Sinema added, “I don’t anticipate that anything will change relative to the Senate structure.” And there’s good reason to believe her. With the exception of some notable dissents, she has backed President Joe Biden’s positions 93% of the time during his first two years in office.
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.
