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ARIZONA NEWS

US Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly of Arizona get new committee assignments

Oct 18, 2023, 11:00 AM

Arizona's Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema were appointed Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2023, to U.S. Senate committee roles formerly held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. (Associated Press photos )

(Associated Press photos )

BY KTAR.COM

PHOENIX — Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly were appointed Tuesday to U.S. Senate committee roles formerly held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

Sinema, an independent, will join the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations and Kelly, a Democrat, will join the Select Committee on Intelligence.

The Committee on Appropriations writes the legislation that allocates funds to government agencies, departments and organizations.

“In this role, I’ll continue to work across the aisle to deliver real results for Arizonans by ensuring responsible investments in our country, boosting border resources, securing Western water, addressing affordability for working Americans and making sure Washington understands and responds to Arizona’s unique needs,” Sinema said in a press release .

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The Select Committee on Intelligence oversees and sets the budget for government intelligence programs, evaluates nominees for internal positions and is regularly briefed on intelligence reports.

“Our ability to outmaneuver adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and their proxies depends on our intelligence community always being one step ahead,” Kelly said in a statement.

“I take seriously the responsibility of overseeing and supporting our intelligence operations, especially as we face complex threats to our own national security and the safety of some of our closest allies.”

Kelly said Feinstein, who died Sept. 29 at the age of 90, left a legacy of strengthening the country’s national security and values.

What other roles do Kelly, Sinema hold?

In addition to the appropriations role, Sinema holds positions on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Kelly’s other assignments are on the Armed Services Committee; Special Committee on Aging; Joint Economic Committee; and Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Kyrsten sinema.

Independent

2019 - Present

Compensation

(2012) $-32,500

November 6, 2018

Brigham Young University, 1995

Arizona State University, 1999

Arizona State University, 2004

Arizona State University, School of Justice and Social Inquiry, 2012

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Kyrsten Sinema (independent) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Arizona. She assumed office on January 3, 2019. Her current term ends on January 3, 2025.

Sinema ( Democratic Party ) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Arizona. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018 .

She defeated Martha McSally (R) and Angela Green (G) in the general election, becoming the first woman elected to a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. [1]

On March 5, 2024, Sinema announced that she would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate . [2]

Sinema is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House representing Arizona's 9th Congressional District from 2013 to 2019. [3] [4]

Sinema began her political career in the Arizona House of Representatives . She represented District 15 from 2005 until her election to the Arizona State Senate in 2010. She resigned from the state Senate on January 3, 2012, in order to run for Congress. [5] [6]

Prior to running for office, Sinema was a local spokeswoman for the Green Party . [7]

On December 9, 2022, Sinema announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party. [8]

As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings , Sinema is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, she may break with the Democratic Party line more than her fellow members.

• 1 Biography
• 3.1 U.S. Senate
• 3.2.1 2017-2018
• 3.2.2 2015-2016
• 3.2.3 2013-2014
• 3.3.1 2011-2012
• 4.1 Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023
• 4.2 Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress
• 4.3 Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023
• 4.4 Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
• 4.5 Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018
• 4.6.1.1 Trade Act of 2015
• 4.6.1.2 Defense spending authorization
• 4.6.1.3 2016 Budget proposal
• 4.6.1.4 2015 budget
• 4.6.2.1 Iran nuclear deal
• 4.6.2.2 Export-Import Bank
• 4.6.3.1 USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
• 4.6.3.2 Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
• 4.6.3.3 Cyber security
• 4.6.4 Immigration
• 4.7 113th Congress
• 4.8.1 HR 644
• 4.8.3 DHS Appropriations
• 4.8.4 CISPA (2013)
• 4.9.1 Farm bill
• 4.9.2 2014 Budget
• 4.9.3 Government shutdown
• 4.9.4 Federal Pay Adjustment Act
• 4.10.1 Morton Memos Prohibition
• 4.11.1 Healthcare Reform Rules
• 4.12.1 Abortion
• 6.1.1 Campaign website
• 6.1.2 Campaign advertisements
• 7 Notable endorsements
• 8.1 40 under 40
• 8.2 Sponsored legislation
• 8.3 Ballot measures
• 9.1 Censure from Arizona Democratic Party (2022)
• 10 Campaign finance summary
• 11.1 PGI: Change in net worth
• 11.2 PGI: Donation Concentration Metric
• 12.1 Ideology and leadership
• 12.2 Like-minded colleagues
• 12.3 Lifetime voting record
• 12.4.1 2013
• 12.5.1 2014
• 12.5.2 2013
• 13 Personal
• 14 See also
• 15 External links
• 16 Footnotes

After receiving her master of social work and J.D. from Arizona State University, Sinema worked as an adjunct professor and faculty member for the Center for Progressive Leadership. [9] Her career in public service began in the Arizona State Legislature in 2005, where her advocacy included getting in-state tuition for veterans at all Arizona public universities, combating sex trafficking, and calling for improvements to children's healthcare. [10]

Below is an abbreviated outline of Sinema's academic, professional, and political career: [11]

• 2019-present: U.S. senator from Arizona
• 2013-2019: U.S. representative from Arizona's 9th Congressional District
• 2012: Graduated from Arizona State University with a Ph.D.
• 2011-2012: Arizona State Senate
• 2006-present: Instructor, Center for Progressive Leadership
• 2005-present: Attorney
• 2005-2011: Arizona House of Representatives
• 2004: Graduated from Arizona State University with a J.D.
• 1999: Graduated from Arizona State University with a M.S.
• 1995-2002: Social worker
• 1995: Graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A.

Committee assignments

U.s. senate.

Sinema was assigned to the following committees: [Source]

• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
• Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
• Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance
• Securities, Insurance, and Investment
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
• Communications, Media, and Broadband
• Space and Science , Chairman
• Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight
• Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management , Chairman
• Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management , Chair
• Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
• National Security and International Trade and Finance
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation , Chair
• Space and Science
• Committee on Aging (Special)

At the beginning of the 115th Congress , Sinema was assigned to the following committees: [12]

• Committee on Financial Services

Sinema served on the following committees: [13]

• Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
• Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing

Sinema served on the following committees: [14]

• Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
• Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight

State Senate

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Sinema served on these committees:

• Appropriations Committee, Arizona Senate
• Subcommittee on Health and Welfare
• Government Reform Committee, Arizona Senate
• Judiciary Committee, Arizona Senate
• Rules Committee, Arizona Senate
• Audit Committee, Arizona State Legislature

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here .

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, at which point Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes: 116th congress, 2019-2020.

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018

Voted Yea on:  Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (Conference report) (HR 2)

Voted Nay on:  Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2 (second vote))

Voted Nay on:  Securing America’s Future Act of 2018 (HR 4760)

Voted Yea on:  Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)

Voted Nay on:  Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HR 36)

Voted Yea on:  Kate's Law (HR 3004)

Voted Nay on:  No Sanctuary for Criminals Act (HR 3003)

Voted Nay on:  American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)

Voted Yea on:  Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (Conference report) (HR 6157)

Voted Yea on:  Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Conference report) (HR 5895)

Voted Yea on:  Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (HR 6157)

Voted Yea on:  Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 (HR 5895)

Voted Yea on:  Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S 2155)

Voted Yea on:  Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)

Voted Yea on:  The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)

Voted Yea on:  Further Extension Of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1892)

Voted Yea on:  Making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes. (HR 195)

Voted Nay on:  Making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes. (HR 195)

Voted Yea on:  Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)

Voted Nay on:  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)

Voted Yea on:  Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (HJ Res 123)

Voted Nay on:  Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)

Voted Nay on:  Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 3354)

Voted Yea on:  Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)

Voted Yea on:  Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (HR 601)

Voted Nay on:  Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (HR 10)

Voted Yea on:  Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)

Voted Yea on:  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (HR 5515)

Voted Yea on:  Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)

Voted Yea on:  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018—Conference report (HR 2810)

Voted Yea on:  Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 3219)

Voted Yea on:  Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)

Voted Yea on:  Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180, second vote)

Voted Yea on:  Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180)

Voted Yea on:  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)

Voted Yea on:  Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017 (HR 1301)

• 114th Congress

The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [80] [81] For more information pertaining to Sinema's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. [82]

Economic and fiscal

Trade act of 2015.

Defense spending authorization

2016 budget proposal, 2015 budget, foreign affairs, iran nuclear deal, export-import bank, usa freedom act of 2015, pain-capable unborn child protection act, cyber security, immigration.

• 113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [123] For more information pertaining to Sinema's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. [124]

National security

Dhs appropriations, cispa (2013), 2014 budget, government shutdown, federal pay adjustment act, morton memos prohibition, healthcare reform rules, social issues.

Kyrsten Sinema did not file to run for re-election.

General election

General election for u.s. senate arizona.

Kyrsten Sinema defeated Martha McSally and Angela Green in the general election for U.S. Senate Arizona on November 6, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for u.s. senate arizona.

Kyrsten Sinema defeated Deedra Abboud in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 28, 2018.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• David Ruben (D)
• Bob Bishop (D)
• Cheryl Fowler (D)
• Richard Sherzan (D)
• Chris Russell (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for u.s. senate arizona.

Martha McSally defeated Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Arizona on August 28, 2018.

• Craig Brittain (R)
• Nicholas Tutora (R)
• Christian Diegel (R)
• Michelle Griffin (R)

Green primary election

No Green candidates ran in the primary.

• Eve Reyes-Aguirre (G)

Libertarian primary election

No Libertarian candidates ran in the primary.

• Doug Marks (L)

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Kyrsten Sinema (D) defeated Dave Giles (R) and Mike Shipley (L write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Giles defeated John Agra in the Republican primary on August 30, 2016. [146] [147] [148]

Sinema won the 2012 election for the U.S. House , representing Arizona's 9th District . She defeated David Schapira and Andrei Cherny in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2012. She then defeated Vernon Parker (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012. [149] [150] [151]

Sinema was eligible but did not seek re-election in 2010. She instead sought the District 15 seat of the Arizona State Senate . She defeated Republican Bob Thomas in the November 2 general election. [152]

On November 4, 2008, Sinema and David M. Lujan were elected to the 15th District Seat in the Arizona House of Representatives , defeating opponent Ed Hedges (R). [153]

Campaign themes

Sinema’s campaign website stated the following:

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Sinema's 2018 election campaign.

The following issues were listed on Sinema's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here .

Sinema's campaign website listed the following issues: [156]

Sinema's campaign website listed the following issues: [157]

• Environment
• Immigration and Border Security

Notable endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

40 under 40

In 2010, Sinema was highlighted by Time Magazine as one of the 40 leaders under 40 who are "rising stars of American politics." [158]

Sponsored legislation

Sinema's sponsored bills while a member of the Arizona State House included:

• HB 2150 - animals; fighting
• HB 2483 - elected officials; officeholder expenses; accounts
• HB 2543 - unmarried couples; responsibilities
• HB 2544 - schools; sex education

For a full list of sponsored bills see the House website .

• Ballot measures

Sinema was the head of the 2008 campaign to defeat Proposition 102 , which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. [159] She also led a coalition to defeat a similar measure, Arizona Proposition 107 , in 2006. [160]

Fundraising in the Arizona Senate election April 10, 2018: Tucson Sentinel columnist Blake Morlock said Kyrsten Sinema, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate representing Arizona, has raised twice as much PAC money as Republican candidate Martha McSally, and claimed Sinema's leading contributors are banks. On the other hand, McSally has drawn three times the small dollar donations as Sinema, primarily from retirees, Morlock said. Is Morlock correct? Read Ballotpedia's fact check »

Noteworthy events

Censure from arizona democratic party (2022).

On January 22, 2022, the Arizona Democratic Party voted to formally censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D) during a closed meeting of party leadership. [161]

The decision came after the U.S. Senate did not pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act amendment . Sinema voted in favor of the amendment, but voted against changing filibuster rules to allow it to pass with only 50 votes. She and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) were the only Democrats in the chamber to vote against the rule change. [161]

In a statement, Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán said: "The Arizona Democratic Party is a diverse coalition with plenty of room for policy disagreements, however [...] in the choice between an archaic legislative norm and protecting Arizonans' right to vote, we choose the latter." [162]

A spokeswoman for Sinema released a statement responding to the censure, saying, "During three terms in the U.S. House, and now in the Senate, Kyrsten has always promised Arizonans she would be an independent voice for the state — not for either political party. She’s delivered for Arizonans and has always been honest about where she stands." [161]

Campaign finance summary

Personal gain index.

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants. It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org , Sinema's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $-50,000 and $-15,001. That averages to $-32,500 , which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Sinema ranked as the 425th most wealthy representative in 2012. [163] Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent. [164]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org , Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Sinema received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 2011-2014, 26.29 percent of Sinema's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below. [166]

Ideology and leadership

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack , Sinema was a centrist Democratic follower as of July 2014. This was the same rating Sinema received in June 2013. [167]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party. [168]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Sinema missed 37 of 1,709 roll call votes from January 2013 to September 2015. This amounted to 2.2 percent, which was equal to the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015. [169]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

Sinema ranked 188th in the liberal rankings in 2013. [170]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

Sinema voted with the Democratic Party 79.4 percent of the time, which ranked 188th among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014. [171]

Sinema voted with the Democratic Party 89.8 percent of the time, which ranked 181st among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013. [172]

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update. Sinema was the first openly bisexual woman elected to the U.S. Senate. [3] [6] [173]

• United States Senate election in Arizona, 2018
• United States House of Representatives
• United States congressional delegations from Arizona
• Arizona's 9th Congressional District elections, 2014
• Arizona's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012
• Arizona's 9th Congressional District

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• ↑ Roll Call , "Kyrsten Sinema Becomes First Female Senator Elected From Arizona," November 12, 2018
• ↑ NBC , "Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will not run for re-election in Arizona," accessed March 5, 2024
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 MSN News, "First openly bisexual woman elected to Congress," January 12, 2013
• ↑ Current, "Campaigning Gay: Kyrsten Sinema for U.S. Congress," June 18, 2012
• ↑ "Sinema to resign seat for shot at 9th District," azcentral.com , January 3, 2012
• ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Journal , "Kyrsten Sinema Winner in Arizona's 9th District," November 13, 2012
• ↑ The New York Times , "A Senate Candidate’s Image Shifted. Did Her Life Story?" September 24, 2018
• ↑ Politico , "Sinema switches to independent, shaking up the Senate," accessed December 9, 2022
• ↑ LinkedIn , "Kyrsten Sinema," accessed May 29, 2018
• ↑ Kyrsten Sinema , "Meet Kyrsten," accessed May 29, 2018
• ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress , "Kyrsten Sinema," accessed June 12, 2013
• ↑ U.S. House Clerk , "Official Alphabetical List of the House of Representatives of the United States One Hundred Fifteenth Congress," accessed February 2, 2017
• ↑ U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk , "Committee Information," accessed February 18, 2015
• ↑ CQ.com - Roll Call, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed January 18, 2013
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2670 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6363 - Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5860 - Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3746 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.7 - Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.44 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives relating to "Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'"" accessed February 28, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.30 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to 'Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights'." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5376 - Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.1605 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.3373 - Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.4346 - Chips and Science Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3755 - Women's Health Protection Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2471 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.8404 - Respect for Marriage Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6833 - Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.937 - COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3076 - Postal Service Reform Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.2938 - Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5305 - Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.Res.24 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.350 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.14 - A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2022 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023 through 2031.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5746 - Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2617 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 434," accessed December 13, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 284," June 21, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 282," June 21, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 434," accessed March 12, 2019
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 549," October 3, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 344," June 29, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 342," June 29, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 256," May 4, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 405," September 26, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 399," September 13, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 313," June 28, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 257," June 8, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 216," May 22, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 127," March 22, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 69," February 9, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 60," February 6, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 44," January 22, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 33," January 18, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 708," December 21, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 692," December 19, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 670," December 7, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 637," November 16, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 589," October 26, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 557," October 5, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 528," September 14, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 480," September 8, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 441," September 6, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 299," June 8, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 249," May 3, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 230," May 24, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 49," January 30, 2018
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 631," November 14, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 435," July 27, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 413," July 25, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 437," July 28, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 407," July 24, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 378," July 14, 2017
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 136," March 8, 2017
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 113th Congress," accessed April 29, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 114th Congress," accessed January 5, 2017
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress," April 13, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 361," June 12, 2015
• ↑ Roll Call , "Deadline for TAA Do-Over Vote Extended to July 30 (Updated)," June 15, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 362," June 12, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 374," June 18, 2015
• ↑ Politico , "Trade turnaround: House backs new power for Obama," June 18, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 388," June 24, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R. 1735," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Redone defense policy bill sails through House," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S. 1356," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 618," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1356)," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.11," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 183," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 579," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314)," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.1191 - Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015," accessed May 16, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 226," accessed May 16, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 3461," accessed September 11, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 493," accessed September 11, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 3460," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 494," accessed September 11, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H Res 411," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 492," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 597," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 576," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 224," accessed May 26, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 36 - the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," accessed May 16, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "HR 36," accessed May 16, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1731," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 173," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1560 - Protecting Cyber Networks Act," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 170," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 4038 - the American SAFE Act of 2015," accessed November 20, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 643," accessed November 20, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
• ↑ 125.0 125.1 The Hill , "House votes to condemn administration over Taliban prisoner swap," September 9, 2014
• ↑ 126.0 126.1 126.2 U.S. House , "Roll Call Vote 485," accessed September 10, 2014
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 1960 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 2217 - DHS Appropriations Act of 2014 - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 624 - CISPA (2013) - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
• ↑ Politico, "House clears farm bill," accessed February 12, 2014
• ↑ 132.0 132.1 NY Times, "Senate Passes Long-Stalled Farm Bill, With Clear Winners and Losers," accessed February 12, 2014
• ↑ 133.0 133.1 CNN.com , "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
• ↑ 134.0 134.1 134.2 U.S. House , "Roll Call Vote 21," accessed January 20, 2014
• ↑ Roll Call , "Omnibus Sails Through the Senate," January 16, 2014
• ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House , "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
• ↑ Buzzfeed , "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
• ↑ The Washington Post , "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
• ↑ U.S. House , "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ The Library of Congress , "H.AMDT.136," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "H Amdt 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "H Amdt 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Voting Record," accessed September 16, 2013
• ↑ Arizona Secretary of State , "2016 Primary Candidates," accessed June 2, 2016
• ↑ Politico , " Arizona House Primaries Results," August 30, 2016
• ↑ CNN , "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
• ↑ Arizona Secretary of State , "Official primary candidate list," August 28, 2012
• ↑ Associated Press , "Primary results," August 28, 2012
• ↑ ABC News , "2012 General Election Results," accessed November 6, 2012
• ↑ Arizona Secretary of State , "General election results," accessed December 13, 2013
• ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2008 general election results," November 4, 2008
• ↑ 154.0 154.1 154.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
• ↑ Sinema for Senate , "Priorities," accessed September 13, 2018
• ↑ Campaign website , "Issues," accessed June 11, 2014
• ↑ Campaign website , "Issues," accessed August 10, 2012
• ↑ Time Magazine , "40 under 40," October 2010
• ↑ Arizona Daily Star , "Ballot issue on marriage still a hot button," October 10, 2008
• ↑ Arizona Republic , "State representative writes book on building coalitions," June 21, 2009
• ↑ 161.0 161.1 161.2 Arizona Republic , "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema censured by Arizona Democratic Party executive board over filibuster vote," January 22, 2022
• ↑ ABC 15 , "AZ Democratic Party censures Sen. Sinema after blocking voting rights legislation," January 22, 2022
• ↑ OpenSecrets , "Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
• ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
• ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
• ↑ OpenSecrets.org , "Rep. Kyrsten Sinema," accessed September 22, 2014
• ↑ GovTrack , "Kyrsten Sinema," accessed July 21, 2014
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Kyrsten Sinema," archived February 25, 2016
• ↑ GovTrack , "Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D)," accessed September 23, 2015
• ↑ National Journal , "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed July 18, 2014
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
• ↑ NBC News , "Kyrsten Sinema makes history as first bisexual member of U.S. Senate," November 13, 2018

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What Kyrsten Sinema's party switch means for Senate Democrats

Sinema said she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent.

Democrats had barely a few days to enjoy their 51-seat majority in the Senate until Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Friday morning she was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.

The big question now: What does it mean for Democrats?

The bottom line: Sinema's shift will not change the balance of power in the Senate.

But it will give Democrats less breathing room than they were hoping for.

Here's why:

Sinema wants to keep committee assignments

Sinema has already been a key holdout on parts of the president's domestic agenda -- a thorn in the side of progressives.

She told CNN's Jake Tapper when announcing her move that she will not caucus with Republicans but declined to explicitly say that she will caucus with Democrats, casting the question aside as "a DC thing."

"I'm not really spending much time worrying about what the mechanics look like for Washington, D.C.," she said.

MORE: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaving Democratic Party

And during her first live interview on Friday morning with radio station KTAR, Sinema pushed back when the host implied she'd need to continue caucusing with Democrats to retain her committee assignments.

"I don't think that that's quite accurate," Sinema said. "Folks in Arizona know that I'm not one to go sit in any party's luncheons or talk with them about, you know, the party politics of the day. I haven't done that for years I won't be doing it now," Sinema said. "So the realistic outcome for this is that I'll retain my committees and I'll continue to be an independent voice for Arizona."

The Senate's two other independents -- Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Maine's Angus King -- caucus with Democrats, giving the party more leverage. Sinema is not promising to do the same, but Democrats rarely see her in caucus meetings as it stands now.

MORE: Sinema rains on Democrats’ post-election parade: The Note

The good news for Democrats is that Sinema does intend to keep her committee assignments, securing the party a one-seat advantage on every panel. As opposed to having tied member representation on Senate committees, the extra seat means it will be easier to confirm judicial and executive nominees.

Sinema maintained throughout her media rollout Friday that she plans to keep her committees and voting record, insisting that "nothing will change about my values or my behavior."

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"Arizonans know that I have always promised to be an independent voice for our state, and that's exactly what I've done. So I think you know today's announcement is just a natural extension of the work that I've been doing on behalf of Arizona for the last number of years in the United States Senate and before that in the U.S. House," she told KTAR. "So the reality is not much has changed. I'm going to keep doing what I do."

MORE: 'Exuberant' Chuck Schumer on what a 51-seat majority means for Democrats

Democrats also still have Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote in their back pocket. While Sinema has made clear she doesn't intend to vote differently than she currently does -- and right now, her voting record is in favor of Biden's agenda 93% of the time -- if she does cast a vote with Republicans that leads to an even vote split on the floor. Harris would still hold the gavel to break that tie.

Schumer responds

She informed Senate Majority Chuck Schumer of her decision on Thursday night, sources told ABC News.

The timing of Sinema's announcement is notable seeing given that she waited until after Tuesday's Georgia runoff election to announce her move, putting a damper on Democrats' victory lap.

Schumer had just ticked through the advantages of having a 51-seat majority, flashing a big 5-1 with his fingers and thanking Harris for her work on the Hill, promising she would now have more time for other vice presidential priorities.

A few hours after her political bombshell, he responded in Twitter, "She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed. Kyrsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been. I believe she’s a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate."

Politics in Arizona

Looking to 2024, when her Senate seat is up for grabs, Sinema faces what promises to be a tough race in Arizona during what's shaping up to be a potentially punishing year for Democrats. Other moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana also face reelection in 2024.

Now that Sinema is an independent, she could face a Democratic challenger in the general election if she decides to run, but she would avoid a primary race.

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, first elected to represent Arizona in Congress in 2014, had been appearing to gear up for one with Sinema. Earlier this week when Biden visited the Grand Canyon state, one he avoided ahead of the midterm elections, Sinema was notably not with him. Sen. Mark Kelly, fresh off his reelection which he won, in part, by breaking from Biden, did join the president, along with Gallego, considered a rising star in the Arizona Democratic Party.

Sinema hasn't said that she's running and told the KTAR that she's "not thinking about or talking about campaigns at all."

"Arizonans can expect me to stay focused on the work and to leave the partisan punditry to others," she said.

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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party and registers as an independent

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has announced she is leaving the Democratic Party and officially registering as an independent.

"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 registering as an Arizona Independent," Sinema, 46, tweeted early Friday morning.

"Over the past four years, I’ve worked proudly with other Senators in both parties and forged consensus on successful laws helping everyday Arizonans build better lives for themselves and their families," the Arizona senator said. "Becoming an Independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same."

Sinema's announcement came days after Democrats reached a 51-49 majority in the upper chamber following Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia — widening their narrowest of majorities. The new Senate makeup will help Democrats overcome certain procedural hurdles and could also weaken the negotiating power of centrist Democrats like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sinema on major Democratic priorities.

The chamber will still functionally be a 51-49 Senate, which means Democrats will have a clear majority and full control of committees and the party won't have to strike another power-sharing agreement with Republicans, a Democratic leadership aide told NBC News. Sinema's committee assignments will be through the Democratic majority, said a Democratic aide and a spokesperson for Sinema.

The Democratic aide said Sinema notified Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about her decision to register as an independent on Thursday.

The Arizona independent will be different than the other independents in the Democratic caucus, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine. A Sinema spokesperson said she has never attended Democratic caucus meetings and won't participate in any now. Both Sanders and King, on the other hand, do caucus with Democrats.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday that Sinema has been a key partner on historic legislation signed by Biden including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, Gun Safety Act and the Respect for Marriage Act.

"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," Jean-Pierre said.

Sinema began her political career as a liberal activist and member of the Green Party. After joining the Democratic Party, she served in the Arizona state Legislature and went on to win a seat in the U.S. House in 2012 representing the Phoenix area. Once in Congress, Sinema went her own way and tacked toward the center, even voting for civil rights icon John Lewis for speaker rather than her party’s liberal leader, Nancy Pelosi. Sinema flipped a GOP-held Senate seat in 2018 and continued to carve out a role as a centrist dealmaker over the past four years, but frequently faced threats of a primary challenge from the left.

During her time with the Democrats, Sinema has repeatedly found herself at odds with the party, including rejecting a filibuster rule change earlier this year that would have helped pass a major voting rights bill, one of Biden's top priorities. Her independent streak has also put her in the middle of negotiations on major bills in the past cycle, including on infrastructure spending legislation, gun restrictions and a major Democratic climate, health care and tax bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Biden administration was informed of Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party “midafternoon” on Thursday, a senior administration official said.

“[We] don’t really think it changes much except her re-election path,” the official said, noting that Sinema is up for re-election in 2024.

A group called the Change for Arizona 2024 PAC said they were continuing a campaign launched in September to primary Sinema in the 2024 election cycle when she's up for re-election.

In an op-ed published by The Arizona Republic newspaper, Sinema expanded on her decision, saying that everyday Americans were being "increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years."

"Pressures in both parties pull leaders to the edges, allowing the loudest, most extreme voices to determine their respective parties’ priorities and expecting the rest of us to fall in line," she said, adding: "In catering to the fringes, neither party has demonstrated much tolerance for diversity of thought. Bipartisan compromise is seen as a rarely acceptable last resort, rather than the best way to achieve lasting progress. Payback against the opposition party has replaced thoughtful legislating.".

Notably, Sinema did not join the rest of the Arizona Democratic delegation on Air Force One this week as President Joe Biden held his first event in the state as president.

Biden did acknowledge Sinema in his remarks, however, saying: “I want to thank Senator Sinema, who can’t be with us today. She’s in Washington working on another major piece of legislation. A tremendous advocate for the people of Arizona and a leader in so many issues important to this state."

Chantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.

Mike Memoli is an NBC News correspondent. 

Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/kyrsten-sinema-is-becoming-an-independent-what-does-that-mean-for-the-senate

Kyrsten Sinema is now an independent. What does that mean for the Senate?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s switch from Democrat to independent won’t change the balance of power in the Senate. But it could affect her political fortunes back home.

WATCH: What the Democrats’ win in Georgia means for their agenda in the U.S. Senate

Sinema says she won’t caucus with Senate Republicans, so Democrats will still hold the majority next year. And she is expected to continue casting most of her votes with Democrats while separating herself on certain issues.

“Nothing’s going to change for me,” Sinema declared in a video announcing her decision.

What it means for the Senate

Not much. Democrats will still be in charge , and day to day operations won’t change for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Sinema is still holding her Democratic committee assignments, meaning she can’t upend the party structure too much.

It is unclear exactly what the Senate’s party balance will be, and whether she will still caucus with Democrats – meaning she would be counted as one of their ranks. If she does, Democrats will have a 51-49 majority. If she doesn’t, the balance would be 50-49, with Sinema voting as an independent. Either way, Democrats will have a majority.

“We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes,” Schumer said in a statement on Sinema’s decision.

What it means for the Democratic agenda

Again, it’s unlikely that Sinema’s move will change the party’s path forward, especially now that Republicans will be in the House majority, and little legislation will move through Congress.

Sinema has always voted in an independent manner – championing some party priorities such as same-sex marriage, which she was instrumental in negotiating before Senate passage last week , and opposing others such as a minimum wage increase. She and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., helped water down much of President Joe Biden’s social spending agenda in the first two years of his presidency.

She has generally voted for Biden’s executive and judicial nominations, as well.

What it means for Sinema

What it means for Sinema in Arizona is a trickier question.

Democrats are likely to put up a new candidate and put her in a three-way race for reelection in 2024, if she decides to run again. Voters will decide if they like her independent style, modeled after the late Sen. John McCain, or if they would prefer a partisan on the right or left.

“My approach is rare in Washington, and has upset partisans in both parties,” she said.

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'A shot across the Democratic leadership bow': Kyrsten Sinema shakes up Senate, switches to independent

WASHINGTON–Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema threw some cold water on Senate Democrats' celebration of a new 51-49 majority, leaving the party Friday and registering as an independent . 

"Becoming an independent won't change my work in the Senate," she wrote in the Arizona Republic , part of the USA TODAY network.

It's a move that could have major implications in the remaining lame-duck session, when lawmakers will be sprinting on legislation to spare themselves a Christmas at the Capitol. 

"She's sending a shot across the Democratic leadership bow, saying 'I’m still important, I still matter,'" said Todd Belt, professor and director of the political management program at George Washington University. 

Switching parties will have a deeper impact on the remaining days of the current session and her political future than the new Congress, Belt said. 

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He added: "It gives her veto power over the omnibus bill. She can extract whatever she wants before Republicans take the House."  

Sinema is trying to forge a path as a maverick at every turn.

Sinema explains: 'I promised Arizonans something different': Sinema on registering as an independent

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What Sinema's decision means

Sinema had already acted independently as a Democrat, and her party switch makes formal what has been a feature of her time in the Senate since 2019. 

For example, she has voted with Republicans on taxes and with Democrats on LGBTQ rights, gun control, infrastructure, Trump impeachments, efforts to mitigate COVID, inflation and more. 

A day before announcing she had switched her party affiliation to independent, she cheered the passage of her bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act in the House and advancement to President Joe Biden's desk. 

Sinema's switch to independent comes decades after she started in politics with the Arizona Green Party and voted as a progressive through much of her career. 

On Friday, she joined the ranks of independent Sens. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucus with Democrats.

Keeping her committee assignments, she indicated her party switch to independent won't change the balance of power much – other than giving more political power to herself and swing Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

"Manchin has been the senator to watch in this Congress," Belt said. "Sinema has made herself the new pivot vote to watch heading into the new Congress."

More: Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

The 2024 election question

Sinema's six-year Senate term is up in 2024.

Before switching her party affiliation to independent, she faced a potential 2024 primary challenge from Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who told MSNBC last month that Sinema "did nothing" to help Democratic candidates in this year's midterm elections. 

Leaving the party means she would not be part of a Democratic primary, whether or not Gallego decides to run.

The “Primary Sinema” political action committee issued a scathing statement:  

"Today, Kyrsten Sinema told us what we've already known for years: she's not a Democrat, and she's simply out for herself. For the last year, we've been laying the groundwork to defeat Kyrsten Sinema because Arizonans deserve a Senator who cares about them, and not special interests. In one way, Sinema just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn't win. Now, we'll beat her in the general election with a real Democrat."

Sinema has drawn ire from some Democrats during Biden's term when her centrist positions have held up or blocked his agenda, including her unwillingness to end the filibuster. 

She wouldn't tell CNN or Politico whether she's running for reelection. 

Belt said changing her party affiliation makes her path to victory "pretty risky."

Fashioning herself as a maverick in the mold of late Republican Sen. John McCain to represent all of Arizona might be a nice ideal, "but to really win in electoral politics, you have to pick one team or the other."

Though Sanders has been able to be reelected as an independent, he has decades of Senate experience and name recognition. 

"Sinema is a freshman senator, and they tend to be easier to unseat than someone who has been in office for decades," Belt said. 

What does it mean for the Senate majority?

Sinema's switch marks the first time a U.S. senator has switched parties since April 2009, when the late Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched from Republican to Democrat, claiming the GOP had moved too far to the right. Specter, who was Pennsylvania's longest-serving senator with 30 years in office, lost in the 2010 Democratic primary. 

The move comes days after an exuberant Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said his Democratic Party's new 51-49 majority in the Senate would make it "a lot quicker, swifter and easier" to get things done in the upper chamber. 

In a statement just before noon Friday, Schumer stayed positive. "We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes."

The last is especially important for Biden and Democratic leaders, Belt said, as the president enters the second half of his term with a Republican House that will push him to govern more administratively than legislatively.

What did the White House say?

The White House offered support to Sinema in a statement Friday and said the working relationship wouldn't change, but it punctuated a week of ups and downs for Biden, who had a crystal clear majority Tuesday and a murky one by the end of the week. 

"We understand that (Sinema's) 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 said, describing Sinema as a "key partner" on some of Biden's biggest wins, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Respect for Marriage Act. 

A confident Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also remained positive on CNN Friday morning, claiming Sinema's switch doesn't take away the victory Democrats have in the Senate majority. 

"She's going to continue to work with us," Klobuchar said. "I don't think it's going to greatly change the way the Senate is working right now."

But it does change the mood and messaging, Belt said. 

The majority party thought they had finally "disproved the narrative of Dems in disarray," he said. "But now they're not. It's another black eye for Democrats who thought the days of Vice President (Kamala) Harris as a tie-breaking vote were behind them."

Lawmakers react

Sinema’s announcement drew mixed reactions from Democrats while also receiving cheers from figures in the Republican party.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said Friday morning he was a little surprised, but not shocked, about Sinema's decision to leave the Democratic party. 

"I don't expect much to change to be honest," he said on MSNBC's Jose Diaz-Balart Reports.  "She's shown that she has an independent streak in how she operates."

Padilla said Sinema's core values– battling climate change, fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, defending reproductive rights– are still progressive. 

"I look forward to continuing to work with her on a lot of these important issues," he said. 

Arizona’s state Democratic Party, which has expressed disappointment before in Sinema’s positions, said her decision “has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans.”

Sinema has also drawn the ire of progressives numerous times for blocking key progressive priorities through her opposition to ending the Senate filibuster.

New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a prominent House progressive, cheered Sinema’s departure from the party, uploading a video on Twitter saying “You were never a Democrat anyways.”

Meanwhile, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, a prominent figure among hard-right Republicans, celebrated Sinema’s decision.

“Good to see @KyrstenSinema leaving the Democratic Party,” tweeted Boebert, comparing her decision to former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s decision to leave the Democratic party and register as an independent.

“Hope many more see the light!,” Boebert said.

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

How Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party will change the Senate

The Arizona first-termer becomes the first Senate Democrat to leave her party since the 2000s.

by Christian Paz

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has done the inevitable: She is leaving the Democratic Party. 

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, the first-term senator said her decision to register as an independent in her home state “makes a lot of sense,” and that she won’t caucus with Republicans , meaning her decision won’t upset the balance of power in the US Senate after the reelection of Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia that gave Democrats a 51-49 majority earlier this week.

Her decision seems obvious to many followers of national politics or anyone who has followed Sinema’s career. The Arizona senator, who started her political career as a Green Party activist before joining Democrats to run for a state House seat in 2004, has never been the conventional “team player.” She’s frustrated Republicans for enabling Democratic control of Congress, and Democrats, both progressive and moderate, for not giving that majority more power and latitude to pass sweeping legislation. That seeming fickleness rests in her varying ideological stances (more socially liberal than Republicans, and more fiscally conservative than most Democrats), her support for the Senate filibuster (including reinstating the 60-vote threshold for executive and judicial appointments), and her opposition to the party’s most progressive economic ideas. 

The news of her switch caught Arizona Democrats off guard, with rumors of big news from Sinema only swirling around Capitol Hill last night and uncertainty about whether it was related to the immigration reform deal she has been trying to broker with Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

“I’ve never fit neatly into any party box,” she told Tapper. “Removing myself from the partisan structure — not only is it true to who I am and how I operate, I also think it’ll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country, who also are tired of the partisanship.”

Her announcement, timed after the final Senate contest was decided in Georgia’s runoff, also throws part of the 2024 election cycle into flux — Sinema is up for reelection in two years and has been deeply unpopular with Democrats in her home state. Though no candidates have formally announced challenges to Sinema, her chances of winning a Democratic primary appeared slim, according to polling in 2021 and 2022 of hypothetical matchups against other well-known Arizona Democrats, including the raucous Phoenix-area Rep. Ruben Gallego .

A pragmatic progressive, Gallego was the frontrunner to win a Democratic primary, according to polling this year from Data for Progress . Though he hasn’t announced a run himself, Gallego was critical of the senator’s move, saying in a statement to Vox, “At a time when our nation needs leadership most, Arizona deserves a voice that won’t back down in the face of struggle. Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.”

Sinema isn’t saying yet whether she plans to run again, but if she does, it will be in a race with unprecedented dynamics that favor her new affiliation. 

What this means for the Senate

Senate control isn’t expected to change. Without Sinema, Democrats — thanks to the two independents who caucus with them (Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont) — would still control the chamber with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote.

Sinema told Politico that she expects to keep her committee assignments — which would require continued Democratic control of the Senate — so Republicans can’t count on her vote just yet.

“I don’t anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure,” she told Politico. “I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent.” She added that she sees questions about how Senate procedures will change as “a question for [Democratic Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer.” She already rarely attends caucus meetings where the party’s agenda is set.

The White House, meanwhile, has “every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “We understand that her decision to register as an independent in Arizona does not change the new Democratic majority control of the Senate.”

Sinema joins a streak of party-switching Senate legislators, who have tended to come from the Northeast . The last Democrat to switch parties was Joe Lieberman in 2006, who ran as an independent in Connecticut after losing a Democratic primary.

Sinema is known for her bipartisanship — she keeps in contact with Republican leadership in both chambers of Congress and has long pushed for legislation in the chamber to have support from members of both parties. That goal is part of the reason she made this decision: “In catering to the fringes, neither party has demonstrated much tolerance for diversity of thought. Bipartisan compromise is seen as a rarely acceptable last resort, rather than the best way to achieve lasting progress,” she wrote in an op-ed for the Arizona Republic explaining her decision.

But that desire for bipartisanship, a kind of radical centrism, has stymied progress in Congress. While praised for her work on the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill and tech manufacturing and microchips bill, she drew condemnation earlier in Biden’s term for blocking his initial Build Back Better economic and climate proposal , for voting against increasing the minimum wage when Biden was pushing his American Rescue Plan pandemic recovery bill, and for defending the Senate filibuster, which helped end Democrats’ efforts to pass protections for abortion rights , voting rights legislation , and gun safety reforms . (She eventually helped broker a watered-down gun control bill in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.)

Whether Sinema is likely to have more leeway and influence in Washington now depends on how receptive the much more conservative incoming House majority will be to her next year. The likely next Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has worked in the House with Sinema before, and the senator told Politico, “We’re friends,” but his slim majority will likely pull the chamber in the retributive direction Sinema has said she opposes.

Though she has said she will not try to persuade other members of the Democratic majority, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to join her as an independent, she would likely need his support, or the backing of some other Democrats, to try to broker any compromises with House Republicans. With divided government in Washington, huge policy advances aren’t likely — but Sinema has never been one for large, immediate change. Her style of incremental reform would likely benefit from a federal government that can now only advance with bipartisan cooperation.

Both she and Manchin will face tough reelection bids in 2024. And though Manchin is running in a much more Republican state than Sinema would be, they could both benefit from a bit of distance with Biden and national Democrats.

What this means for Arizona — and the 2024 campaign

Sinema’s decision reflects a tradition of Arizona politics, where registered independents rival the state’s registered Republicans as the state’s largest voting group. The state is split nearly evenly into thirds among the two major parties and independents.

Based on initial exit polls, the makeup of this year’s electorate reflected some of this dynamic: Independents made up the largest group of voters in the Senate race, and they backed Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly by more than 15 points. Republicans, the next largest group, backed candidate Blake Masters by a smaller margin than they backed the 2020 election-denying gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake .

Sinema has said that her decision to change parties is meant to reflect this dynamic: “I promised I would never bend to party pressure,” she wrote in her op-ed. “Arizonans — including many registered as Democrats or Republicans — are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine. … It’s no wonder a growing number of Americans are registering as independents. In Arizona, that number often outpaces those registered with either national party.”

Arizona’s partisan breakdown isn’t expected to change dramatically before 2024, and Sinema’s decision makes the state’s upcoming Senate race wide-open. Sinema isn’t announcing a reelection effort yet, only saying that she does not plan to run for president. But if she does run, her move could work to her advantage. 

She faced an uphill challenge by running as Democrat — she wasn’t leading in any hypothetical polling conducted in 2021 or 2022 when matched up against leading alternative Democratic candidates, like Rep. Gallego, Rep. Greg Stanton, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, or Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. Her favorability ratings remained low during the last year in both public and private Democratic polling from the Kelly campaign, according to a Democratic operative who was familiar with those results. Now, by unaffiliating herself with the state party, she could avoid what likely would have been a bruising primary contest that she would have lost.

No one has yet jumped in to officially challenge her, though Ruben Gallego , who has been particularly vocal in his criticism of Sinema, has been seriously considering a Democratic bid.

Republicans don’t have a clear frontrunner, either — Lake, the most widely known Republican in the state, lost the gubernatorial race this year and carries the baggage of election denialism and Trumpism. She has been floated as a possible running mate for Trump’s 2024 election bid, and though Arizona doesn’t explicitly ban running for two federal offices, it does prohibit running for two state or local offices at the same time.

Still, it’s not clear who would benefit from a three-way race: Sinema could argue to Democratic Senate leadership that supporting anyone other than her would result in a Republican victory, given the tight margins Democrats have won with before. If she were able to convince them of this, that could effectively shut down any challenge from her left during what is shaping up to be a brutal cycle for Senate Democrats in 2024 . In the meantime, she has already cut an ad in Arizona declaring her independent status .

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The politics of Kyrsten Sinema’s party switch

Three days ago, we wrote about a few reasons the Georgia Senate runoff — and whether Democrats’ majority would grow to 51-49 — mattered, practically speaking. One of those reasons? The possibility of a party switch .

That has already come to pass: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) announced in a series of interviews, a video and an op-ed Friday that she will re-register as an independent . She becomes the first senator to leave her party since Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in 2009.

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 registering as an Arizona Independent. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/jUQHAeuxym — Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022

Like Specter, Sinema looked set to face an arduous primary if she sought re election with her former party, given the maneuvering of Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) to run against her . So the move makes some sense for her personally.

But what about the political impact more broadly?

The first thing to note is that it remains unclear whether Sinema will continue to caucus with Democrats, as two other independents in the Senate do. When asked about this, Sinema spokesman Pablo Sierra-Carmona said merely that “she intends to maintain her committee assignments from the Democratic majority. She has never and will not attend caucus messaging or organizational meetings.”

That sounds like she would effectively caucus with Democrats — that is, align with them for purposes of organizing the Senate — but for some reason is avoiding saying so directly. And she has said she’s not sure whether her desk will remain on the Democratic side of the Senate. Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether her move would change the balance of power in the Senate, she responded, “that’s kind of a D.C. thing to worry about.”

This question doesn’t immediately matter when it comes to whether Democrats will retain the Senate majority, but it does matter. They will have at least a 50-49 edge as long as Sinema doesn’t caucus with the GOP. But if her plan is to leave the Democratic caucus, that would make Sen. Raphael G. Warnock’s (D-Ga.) win in Tuesday’s runoff potentially hugely significant.

Of course, we’ll never know what Sinema might have done if Warnock hadn’t won. At that point a party switch without caucusing with Democrats would have meant shifting the Senate majority to Republicans. (That has happened before; Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords left the GOP to become an independent who caucused with Democrats 21 years ago, flipping the Senate majority.) Her calculus might have shifted in that scenario: However little Democratic support she’d get in a potential 2024 reelection bid, imagine her trying to appeal to any of the Democrats who elected her in 2018 after having handed the Senate majority to the GOP.

Indeed, the fact that Sinema waited to do this until after the Georgia runoff suggests she at least wanted to see how it shook out.

It also could matter for committees. Democrats will have a majority regardless, but their composition is subject to negotiations at the start of the new Congress.

And there’s also what it could mean for potential vacancies in Congress over the next two years. If Sinema didn’t caucus with Democrats, it would mean that even one vacancy in the wrong place — rather than two — could feasibly hand Republicans the majority. Currently, 11 Democratic senators come from states with a GOP governor who could appoint a Republican replacement.

Now let’s turn to Sinema’s own political future.

As noted above, this move makes sense for Sinema if she runs again, and runs as an independent. She has alienated many Democratic voters by resisting moves like nixing the filibuster and by standing in the way of some key agenda items for President Biden. It’s to the point where she would have had a very difficult time winning a primary, if she ran.

A September poll from AARP showed just 37 percent of Arizona Democrats had a favorable opinion of her, compared to 57 percent who had an unfavorable one. And the limited, very early polling of a Sinema-vs.-Gallego matchup suggests Gallego might indeed be the favorite.

She’s not particularly popular among Republicans or independents, either, but if she were to run as an independent in a three-way race, it might open the door a little wider. That goes particularly if Arizona keeps nominating the kind of far-right Republicans they put up for statewide this year.

Also consider what Democrats do now. If they run someone like Gallego against an independent Sinema, the general election will feature two candidates who are, or were up until recently, Democrats. That risks splitting Democrats’ votes and possibly opening the door to Republicans — even a more extreme Republican than may otherwise have had a shot. Sinema has put her party in a potentially difficult spot. Democrats don’t support candidates against independent Sens. Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.), but each of them are much more reliable votes for the party. With Sinema, they’ll have a difficult time dissuading liberals from mounting a candidacy.

Then there’s the matter of what the change means for how she votes in the Senate. Sinema has maintained that she won’t change her approach. “I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do,” she told Politico . “I just intend to show up to work as an independent.”

But everyone has their political prerogatives to mind. And if Sinema views this as freeing her up even a little from needing to appeal to the Democratic base, that could matter in the Senate. Democrats already have to contend with one of their majority-making votes coming from Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who hails from the second-Trumpiest state in the country. Even though they might have an effective 51-49 majority in the chamber, they still need either Sinema or Manchin on most close votes. And Sinema has previously shown she’s plenty willing to buck her party, even to her potential own political detriment.

In other words: Stay tuned. The incoming 118th Congress and the 2024 election just got a little more interesting.

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Chuck schumer says kyrsten sinema can keep committee assignments despite party switch.

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WASHINGTON — Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will keep her committee assignments despite leaving the Democratic Party , Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed Friday.

“Sen. Sinema informed me of her decision to change her affiliation to Independent,” Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement. “She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed.”

Now an independent, the former Democrat holds seats on the Senate Banking Committee, Commerce Committee, Homeland Security Committee and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

She also chairs two subcommittees on Government Operations and Border Management and Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation.

Schumer’s statement confirmed that Sinema’s defection was unlikely to affect Democrats’ overall control of the Senate, despite the angry reaction of many party supporters.

Under a power-sharing agreement between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), committee seats are currently evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, requiring the latter to get GOP buy-in to issue subpoenas or favorably report President Biden’s nominees to the full Senate.

“Kyrsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been. I believe she’s a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate,” Schumer said. “We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes.”

The first-term lawmaker was already known as an independent voice in the chamber and only sporadically attended weekly Democratic caucus lunches before her switch, according to a source with knowledge of Sinema’s routines.

In an editorial announcing her party change in the Arizona Republic , Sinema said she “pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results” in her previous runs in the US House and Senate.

“Like a lot of Arizonans, I have never fit perfectly in either national party,” she wrote. “Becoming an Independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same.”

Sinema has not said whether she will continue to formally caucus with the Democrats, but told Politico she will not caucus with Republicans, suggesting that she will vote in the same manner she has over her four previous years in the Senate.

“Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,” she told the outlet, adding: “I don’t anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure.”

“I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent.”

If Sinema follows through with her pledge, Democrats will keep a workable hold on the Senate — though it won’t be as definite as the clean-cut, 51-49 majority it had expected.

Still, some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), see Sinema’s swap as a win for the GOP — noting that she joins former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in denouncing the Democrats in recent months.

“Good to see @KyrstenSinema leaving the Democrat Party,” Boebert tweeted Friday . “Just this year we’ve had @TulsiGabbard & Senator Sinema – both high profile Democrats – change parties. Hope many more see the light!”

Gabbard announced she had left the Democrats to register as an independent in October, but has been largely embraced by the Republican Party and campaigned for some of its midterm candidates.

Sinema will not be the only independent to hold committee seats in the Democrat-controlled chamber.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) chairs the Senate Budget Committee and holds seats on the Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works, Veterans Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees. He also chairs the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) holds seats on the Senate Rules and Administration, Intelligence, Armed Services and Energy and Natural Resource committees. He also chairs the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks.

Both Sanders and King caucus with the Democrats and are widely seen as more amenable to the party line than Sinema.

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Kyrsten Sinema Says She Will Leave the Democratic Party

The Arizona senator is registering as an independent, noting that she “never fit perfectly in either national party.”

By Carl Hulse

WASHINGTON — Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced on Friday that she would leave the Democratic Party and become an independent, unsettling the party divide anew just days after Democrats secured an expanded majority in the Senate.

“I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington,” she wrote in an opinion column published in The Arizona Republic .

Ms. Sinema’s decision put an abrupt damper on the jubilance Democrats experienced this week after their caucus secured a 51st seat in the Senate with Senator Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia. It was likely to provide new complications for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats going forward, even though she wrote in her column that “becoming an independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same.”

Still the move by the first-term senator, who was facing a likely Democratic re-election challenge in 2024 after angering her party by opposing key elements of its agenda, was unlikely to change the day-to-day reality in Washington for Democrats, who have long had to contend with her unpredictability and diversions from the party line. The bigger practical effect was likely to be on Ms. Sinema’s political standing in Arizona, where she would have had difficulty prevailing in a Democratic primary.

Ms. Sinema informed Mr. Schumer of her plans on Thursday, according to a Senate Democratic aide who described the private conversation on the condition of anonymity. The aide said that Ms. Sinema would keep her committee positions through Democrats, meaning the party would still hold a one-seat edge on the panels next year, giving them new flexibility over nominations and legislation.

Ms. Sinema did not specifically say that she would still caucus with the Democrats, as do two other independent senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine. Even as a Democrat, she rarely attended the regular party meetings. But her appeal to Mr. Schumer to keep her committee posts — and his decision to grant it — effectively means she will be a third independent aligned with Democrats, preserving their 51-to-49 majority.

“She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement late Friday morning. “Kyrsten is independent, that’s how she’s always been. I believe she’s a good and effective senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate.”

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

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, noted that Ms. Sinema has strongly backed major Biden administration initiatives such as the infrastructure package, and said President Biden hoped to keep her as an ally.

“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,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Other administration officials expect that her shift would change little about their interactions with her in the months ahead. One person involved in shaping the White House approach to working with her, who spoke on condition of anonymity, characterized her as difficult and contrarian, but noted that she ultimately had backed the president on critical votes, providing Mr. Biden and Democrats a successful legislative record to promote.

Her decision prompted a quick backlash in Arizona, where a group created to generate a primary campaign against her said they would now focus on unseating her in the general election.

“Today, Kyrsten Sinema told us what we’ve already known for years: She’s not a Democrat, and she’s simply out for herself,” the Primary Sinema campaign said in a statement. “In one way, Sinema just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn’t win. Now, we’ll beat her in the general election with a real Democrat.”

Representative Ruben Gallego, a Democratic House member from Arizona and a potential candidate for Ms. Sinema’s seat, issued a statement saying, “Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.”

There was little question that the move was in Ms. Sinema’s political interest. A recent poll by Civiqs highlighted her unpopularity with Democrats in Arizona — just 7 percent approved of her — while 27 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of independents in the state had a favorable view. Still, a plurality of Republicans and half of independents disapproved of her.

Party switching is not unheard-of in the Senate when lawmakers see political advantage in making such a move. After losing in a Democratic primary in 2006, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut ran and won as an independent but continued to caucus with majority Democrats. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania left the Republican Party in 2009, after joining with Democrats in backing some initiatives of the Obama administration, but was later defeated in a Democratic primary.

Ms. Sinema has cast herself as a bipartisan deal-maker in the Senate and is often seen on the Republican side of the floor, conversing with and lobbying Republicans with whom she has worked on a variety of issues. Like Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, she has been a holdout on some major Democratic priorities such as tax increases. She and Mr. Manchin killed Democratic efforts to weaken the filibuster and push through new voting rights legislation this year. Arizona Democrats symbolically censured her after her filibuster vote.

Mr. Manchin, who was re-elected this week to a spot in the Senate Democratic leadership, has been mentioned more often as a potential party-switcher given his own re-election difficulties in his deep-red state, and Republicans have made clear that they would welcome him.

But Ms. Sinema has also been assiduously courted by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, who has praised her for refusing to bend on the filibuster. She appeared with him at an event at the McConnell Center in Louisville in September, drawing criticism from Democrats who saw her as cozying up to the top Republican before the election that would decide party control of the Senate.

Ms. Sinema is more in line with Democrats on major social, cultural and environmental policies and was a key architect of the recent Senate agreement that paved the way for passage of legislation to mandate federal recognition of same-sex marriages, which cleared Congress this week over the opposition of most Republicans. She has been a reliable vote for the Biden administration’s judicial and executive branch nominees.

Where she has diverged with Democrats is more on fiscal and tax policy. She has blocked Democratic attempts to increase taxes on corporate America and Wall Street, drawing accusations that she was running interference for her wealthy donors.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee acerbically headlined its reaction to the news on Friday a “statement on Kyrsten Sinema leaving Democratic Party to spend more time with her Wall Street family.”

Though Ms. Sinema strictly limits the news media’s access to her, she relishes being a center of attention in the Senate and has made Mr. Schumer work for her vote. When Mr. Manchin relented in July and decided to back a sweeping climate change and spending bill, Mr. Schumer still had to secure Ms. Sinema’s vote as a final step and she won hefty concessions , forcing Democrats to drop a $14 billion tax increase on some wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives and to change the structure of a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations. She also won drought relief in the bill for her state and others in the West.

Writing in The Arizona Republic, Ms. Sinema said that she had “never fit perfectly in either national party” and that the “loudest, most extreme voices continue to drive each party toward the fringes.”

“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,” she added.

Daniel Victor , Katie Rogers and Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting.

Carl Hulse is chief Washington correspondent and a veteran of more than three decades of reporting in the capital. More about Carl Hulse

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Here’s the latest news and analysis from capitol hill..

Democrats’ ‘Sword and Shield’ Strategy: Despite certain defeat, Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, is pushing showdown votes on border security  and abortion rights  ahead of this year’s elections. Here’s why .

Trump’s Meeting With Oil Executives: Senate Democrats opened an investigation  into a fund-raising dinner where Donald Trump asked oil executives to donate $1 billion to his campaign and vowed to roll back climate rules .

Noncitizen Voting:  House Republicans are pushing legislation to crack down on voting by noncitizens , which happens rarely and is already illegal in federal elections, in an effort to sow doubts about the 2024 results if Trump loses .

A New Centrism Rises: The emergence of a new form of American centrism — call it neopopulism  — has made the last four years arguably the most productive period of bipartisanship in Washington in decades.

Hurling Insults: In an after-hours session of the House Oversight Committee, insults by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing Republican, led to a raucous exchange with Democrats .