Winning her Senate seat in a tight 2018 election, Kyrsten Sinema once seemed like she had a bright future in the Democratic party. During her term, though, the lawmaker became increasingly unpopular, and she changed her party affiliation to Independent in 2022.
Congressman Ruben Gallego will run for on the Democratic ticket for Sinema's seat, and Kari Lake will be the Republican nominee. Rather than spoiling Democratic chances, though, Sinema has announced she will not be running as an Independent candidate.
The lawmaker made the announcement via an X video where she said, "Compromise is a dirty word. I believe in my approach, but it’s not what America wants right now."
Sinema continued, "In 2017, I warned we were approaching a crossroads. Our democracy was weakened by government dysfunction and the constant pull to the extremes by both political parties. I promised I would do my best to fix it, to protect and defend our Constitution."
The senator closed, "These solutions matter, they make an impact in the lives of everyday Americans, and this is how government should work. It’s been an honor to serve Arizona for the past 20 years. Thank you."
You can watch the full announcement from the Senator below: