Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-AZ) recently announced that she would not seek reelection to the Senate in 2024 and would not launch a third-party presidential bid.
“I believe in my approach but it’s not what America wants right now,” Sinema said in a video on social media. “I love Arizona, and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered. Because I chose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of the year.”
In her announcement, Sinema blamed the divisiveness in American politics as the reason she would leave Congress, saying, “Americans still choose to retreat farther to their partisan corners.”
“It’s all or nothing,” she added. “The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic, attacking your opponents on cable news or social media.”
Sinema told Bloomberg of her intentions for her political future, while No Labels — a group that seeks to recruit centrist politicians to run for president — announced that the Arizona congresswoman would not be its presidential nominee.
No Labels has considered former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) as potential presidential nominees but all three individuals have passed on the offer.
The moderate group is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with state delegates to discuss who it will include on its presidential ticket.
The Senate race in Arizona is now between Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
BREAKING NEWS 🚨🚨
Krysten Sinema WILL NOT seek Re-Election paving the way for an EASY Kari Lake win
Do you want Kari Lake to be Arizona’s next Senator ?
— Marjorie Taylor Greene Press Release (Parody) (@MTGrepp) March 5, 2024
Sinema’s eventual departure from the Senate comes after she became an independent in 2022, having left the Democratic Party. Her announcement that she would not seek reelection was expected since Arizona’s primaries will occur on March 19, 2024.
Sinema had previously raised funds for a potential reelection campaign to the Senate. She raised nearly $11 million, but her quarterly fundraising was greatly outpaced by Gallego and Lake, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Republicans are favored to take control of the Senate after the 2024 elections since Democrats will be tasked with defending 23 seats, including Sinema’s and two others held by independents.
