The News
Independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced Tuesday that she will not run for reelection and will leave the Senate at the end of the year.
“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 video posted on X.
Sinema won the seat in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to do so since 1994. In December 2022, she left the Democratic party to become an independent.
Sinema’s decision not to run came as her chance of reelection seemed small, NBC News reported. Surveys have consistently shown her polling behind the likely Democratic and Republican candidates for the seat, Republican Kari Lake and the Democrats’ Rep. Ruben Gallego.
National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Steve Daines said in a statement that “with recent polling showing Kyrsten Sinema pulling far more Republican voters than Democrat voters, her decision to retire improves Kari Lake’s opportunity to flip this seat.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check later for updates.