Kyrsten Sinema officially files to run as an independent in Arizona

Plenty of Republicans praise her. But the filing doesn’t automatically mean she will run for re-election

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema registered for re-election in 2024 to run as an independent on Thursday after she announced last week that she would leave the Democratic Party.

Ms Sinema’s campaign filed a statement of candidacy form with the Federal Election Commission to run as an independent. The statement of candidacy does not necessarily mean that she will seek re-election, but it does allow her to raise money for a potential campaign.

The senior Arizona Senator, who started her career as a Green Party activist before spending her entire career in elected office as a Democrat, announced last Friday that she would register as an independent.

The announcement came after Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock won his runoff election last week, which gave Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate. Ms Sinema’s decision means that she will still caucus with the Democrats, as do Independent Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine.

In addition, Ms Sinema will continue to sit on committees as a member of the Democratic caucus, giving Democrats a one-seat advantage on committees, which would make it easier to confirm nominees.

Many Republicans were mixed on whether they should run a candidate against her in 2024.

“If she doesn’t, the answer’s yes, but she’s fantastic,” Senator Mitt Romney of Utah told The Independent. “I think she’s fantastic. She’s been a sparkplug in the Senate and I hope she continues to serve in the Senate.”

Mr Romney and Ms Sinema have worked together on passing the bipartisan infrastructure law and most recently worked together on the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies protections for same-sex married and interracial couples.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa told The Independent that it was too early to talk about that.

“We would love to have Republicans in as many seats as possible,” she said. “I’m gonna say though that Kyrsten Sinema has been very, very good to work with.”

Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who recently became the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that the committee would look at Arizona.

“Of course, there’s going to be a Republican candidate,” he told reporters. “There’s going to be a lot of interest. We’re not even one week since Georgia, the last race in this cycle.”

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who was part of the negotiating group that passed the infrastructure bill last year, expressed confidence in Ms Sinema.

“I think Sinema’s going to win,” he told The Independent. “So whether or not we want to spent money there, I don’t know.”