US Senator Kyrsten Sinema won’t seek re-election, reshaping Arizona race
- The lawmaker, who switched affiliation from Democrat to independent, had helped clinch a bipartisan border deal that collapsed after Trump criticised it
- Sinema’s exit removes the prospect of a turbulent 3-way race in one of the most politically competitive states in the US
Independent US Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said she will not run for a second term, ending prospects for a turbulent three-way race in one of the nation’s most politically competitive states.
Sinema, who switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent in 2022, criticised partisan dysfunction in Congress in announcing her much-anticipated decision.
“Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” Sinema said in a statement.
Sinema, 47, recently helped clinch a failed border deal with Republican senators that would have cracked down on illegal border crossings, make it harder to apply for asylum and speed up deportations of undocumented migrants. Republicans repudiated the deal after Donald Trump criticised it.
Her decision follows anaemic fundraising during the final three months of 2023, with a US$535,000 haul that was a fraction of the amounts raised by Republican firebrand Kari Lake and progressive Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego, the favourites for their parties’ nominations.