Kyrsten Sinema dodges question on whether she will run again in 2024
Ryan King
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) dodged questions about whether she will seek reelection despite fundraising as if she plans to jump into the 2024 fray.
The Democrat-turned-independent, who has long been tight-lipped about her future electoral plans, also declined to lay down a hard time frame for making a decision or reveal what she might do instead of serving in Congress as she draws a number of challenges in what could shape up to be a heated three-way battle.
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“I’m not going to answer that question. But I’m glad you started with it. Got it right out of the way!” Sinema told the New York Times.
“Yeah, not really thinking about that,” she later added when asked about her career plans if she doesn’t serve a second term.
When asked when she plans to make a decision, Sinema replied, “When I’m ready.”
Since her rise to the Senate after the 2018 elections, Sinema has emerged as something of an outsider, no stranger to breaking ranks with the Democratic Party. She helped torpedo multiple iterations of President Joe Biden‘s Build Back Better agenda before coming on board with the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act.
This drew rage from progressives, particularly given that her colleague, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), has managed to survive electorally with more liberal positions. She switched her party affiliation to independent late last year. Polling indicates that Sinema’s approval is underwater across the board.
From the left, her top declared challenger is Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who touted a roughly $3.7 million haul last quarter, eclipsing her fundraising pull. On the right, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has already announced his campaign, and there have been murmurs about former gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake entering the race.
Still, Sinema has a considerable war chest at her disposal should she decide to run.
Sinema has shown a penchant for being quiet about her legislative work and political aspirations. At the beginning of her career, she was a progressive activist and member of the Green Party but has since lurched to the center and shown a fondness for bipartisan collaboration.
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Others, such as former Senate hopeful Blake Masters, who lost to Kelly in 2022, and Karrin Taylor Robson, who was bested in a gubernatorial primary to Lake, have also been floated as possible contenders.
Arizona is one of a handful of competitive states Republicans have been eyeing in their quest to recapture the upper chamber. This coming cycle, Republicans will only have to defend 11 seats, while Democrats have to hold 23, including three occupied by Democratic-aligned independent senators.