The Arizona Democratic Party blasted Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after she announced her exit from the party to register as an independent, but said party affiliation was not the main reason for their disappointment.
In a statement posted to Twitter, the state Democratic Party said they welcome independent voters to their party, but claimed that ‘Sinema has fallen dramatically short leaving Arizonans behind.’
‘Senator Sinema may be registered as an Independent, but she has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans. Senator Sinema’s party registration means nothing if she continues to not listen to her constituents.’
The statement also claimed that Sinema has left Arizonans behind in terms of protecting voting rights and big corporations. The party also stated that some of Sinema’s work with the Democratic Party was appreciated.
‘Through several pieces of historic legislation and Senator Sinema’s help, Democrats have made huge headway on delivering this for Arizonans,’ the statement said.
In an the op-ed for the Arizona Republic, Sinema explained her reasoning behind the party switch.
‘Americans are told that we have only two choices — Democrat or Republican — and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes,’ Sinema wrote.
‘Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different,’ Sinema continued. ‘I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political drama.’
Sinema will be up for re-election in 2024, but she has not officially announced whether she will run.
Fox News’ Timothy H. J. Nerozzi and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.