QUOTE OF THE DAY: “That’s why I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington.”

— Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., on leaving the Democratic Party

Sinema shook the political world with her announcement Friday morning that she is becoming an independent, throwing into doubt the Democrats’ newly won Senate majority.

  • “When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition party a victory than they are on improving Americans’ lives, the people who lose are everyday Americans,” Sinema wrote in an Arizona Republic op-ed.
  • Sinema, who has outraged Democrats with her opposition to elements of President Biden’s agenda, told Politico she would not caucus with the Republicans: “I don’t anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure.”
  • Speaking to CNN anchor Jake Tapper, she said, “Removing myself from the partisan structure — not only is it true to who I am and how I operate, I also think it’ll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country, who also are tired of the partisanship.”