Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced that Sen. Kirsten Sinema did not get a special deal and would remain on her committees and the caucus with the Democrats.
In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Schumer said, “Senator Sinema has informed me of her decision to change her affiliation with The Independent. She asked me to keep her duties on the committee and I agreed. Kirsten is an independent country. That’s how it always was. I think she is a good and effective Senator and I look forward to a productive session in the new Senate with a Democratic majority. We will maintain our new majority in committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to liquidate candidates without discharging votes.”
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There were some reports that Sinema may have been looking for a special deal where she could keep her commission stints without speaking with Democrats, but that hasn’t happened.
Democrats will retain a 51-49 majority on the committees. Sinema has been a reliable vote for Biden’s judicial nominees, and that will likely continue to be the case.
Sinema’s move was around 2024 Because she would have faced a Democratic Senate primary in Arizona that she would have lost.
Instead of losing the primary and then running as an independent, Sinema will try to ghost John McCain and sell itself as an independent for the next two years.
Arizona is changing, and chances are high it won’t win a three-way race in 2024, but today it’s important to know that Kristen Sinema’s move changes nothing for the Democratic majority in the Senate.
Jason is the Managing Editor. He is also the White House press reporter and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
