Kyrsten Sinema is no conservative hero
Tom Joyce
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Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is no longer a registered Democrat. But that doesn’t make her a conservative.
The swing state senator announced late last week that she has registered as an independent, leaving the Democratic Party. However, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME), she will caucus with Democrats.
While some people are happy that Sinema left the Democratic Party, she doesn’t deserve much praise. Politically, Sinema is no hero.
For Sinema, switching from Democratic to independent seems to be about self-preservation. It is unclear if she plans to run for reelection in 2024, but if she does, being an independent gives her a boost.
Sinema’s approval rating is abysmal in Arizona: 37% of all likely voters approve of her, while 54% disapprove, according to a September 2022 AARP poll. Her approval rating is consistently bad even among Democrats (37% approve, 57% disapprove).
However, if she seeks reelection as an independent, she can avoid a Democratic primary. Having a low approval rating among Democrats puts her at risk of losing a primary if she chose to seek reelection as a Democrat. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has expressed interest in running for Senate, and he falls to the left of Sinema.
On top of this, while Sinema has a reputation as a moderate Democrat, she has many lousy political views — and is anything but moderate on social issues.
On abortion, Sinema is radical. She has a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America. She even opposes the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would protect children born after an attempted abortion. Whether a person is pro-life or pro-choice, it seems that the only reason someone would oppose these provisions is if they are trying to appease the abortion lobby, not their constituents.
Sinema is also terrible when it comes to illegal immigration. She supports a pathway to citizenship for 2 million illegal immigrants, which would incentivize more illegal immigration. As if that is not bad enough, the deal she supports on immigration would not add to the U.S.-Mexico border wall, nor would it enact mandatory e-Verify nationwide.
Additionally, Sinema’s economic views are easy to understand: she supports corporate welfare. Sinema supported the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act; the former provided corporate welfare to semiconductor manufacturers and the latter to the politically connected green energy industry.
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So while politicians such as Sanders deride Sinema for not supporting President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda, Sinema and Biden have found plenty of common ground.
Arizona deserves better than Sinema. If she runs again, Arizonans should vote her out so she can become a lobbyist.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a political reporter for the New Boston Post in Massachusetts.