Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) announced on Tuesday that she will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of this year.
Her exit from the Senate clears the way for the race to be a two-way battle between Republican Kari Lake and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in an election that could determine which party controls the Senate.
In the video where she made her announcement, Sinema warned that America was choosing the worse course by continuing to go to the political extremes on both sides.
“In 2017, I warned we were approaching a crossroads,” she said. “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, to listen to others without judging to focus on what unites us, and to make Americans lives better.”
“Through listening, understanding and compromise, we delivered tangible results that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” she continued. “Yet despite modernizing our infrastructure, ensuring clean water, delivering good jobs and safer communities, Americans still choose to retreat farther to their partisan corners.”
“These solutions are considered failures, either because they’re too much or not nearly enough. It’s all or nothing. The outcome, less important than beating the other guy,” she added. “The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic, attacking your opponents on cable news or social media. Compromise is a dirty word. We’ve arrived at that crossroad. And we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach, but it’s not what America wants right now. I love Arizona, and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered. Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.”
Sinema concluded the announcement by highlighting some of her accomplishments while in the Senate.
A message for Arizonans from Senator Kyrsten Sinema pic.twitter.com/1XWFSWgGdh
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) March 5, 2024
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