Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona registers as an independent

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on Friday said she’s registered as an independent, leaving the Democratic Party. Sinema wrote in a newspaper column that she wants to focus on bipartisan efforts and represent Arizona residents who do not fully align with either political party. She began her political career in the Green Party, but for most of her time in office has registered as a Democrat. Since being elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 2018, Sinema has aligned with many Democratic positions on social issues while favoring more conservative stances on finance and the Senate’s filibuster rule. Sinema said she will maintain her committee assignments. 

What does this mean for the Senate as a whole? After Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory Tuesday in the Georgia runoff election, the Democratic Party stood to hold a 51-49 majority. But Sinema has not said if she will continue to caucus with Democrats. The two other independent senators—Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine—caucus with the Democratic Party and hold committee seniority through the party. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the deciding vote. 

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s story in The Stew about the Senate’s even split following the November election.