Sinema is holding campaign retreats, has $10 million in the bank, and the potential backing of dark money group No Labels, so why is she waiting to announce her candidacy?
Today, Republican Mark Lamb announced he’s entering the U.S. Senate race in Arizona, joining Democrat Ruben Gallego as declared candidates. But incumbent Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent, has dodged questions about her re-election plans, most recently at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry event, where she was asked directly and refused to answer.
Why is Sinema playing coy about her reelection plans when all other signs point to her running? From her flashy party change announcement video to a recent slideshow from her staff retreat detailing polling timelines, independent expenditures, and communications strategy, Sinema obviously has plans in the works. She also has a $10 million warchest bankrolled by billionaires, Wall Street lobbyists, and dark money donors like Harlan Crow.
“Kyrsten Sinema is so obviously running for reelection,” said Sacha Haworth, spokesperson for the Replace Sinema Project. “Why Sinema continues to insult our intelligence and play coy about her plans is another matter: maybe it gives her more time to amass millions from Wall Street billionaires, plot strategy with No Labels, or commission more polls that show her losing. Either way, we say bring it on: we’re ready to replace her with the kind of leadership Arizona deserves.”
Sinema notably has a history of putting herself, donors, and lobbyists first and Arizonans last: a 37-page handbook for her Senate staff leaked last year detailed the amount of time she allots for constituent meetings (3 minutes) versus that for lobbyists (20 minutes), her weekly hour-long appointments with the Senate personal masseuse, and her unwillingness to work past 6:30 pm. The handbook also prompted an ethics complaint filed by 13 advocacy groups for her alleged abuse of staff, including requiring them to do her grocery shopping, make sure she is fed at all times, and fix her internet.
About Replace Sinema: The “Replace Sinema” campaign, a project of Change for Arizona 2024 PAC, was launched in September 2022 as “Primary Sinema” to educate voters about the ways Krysten Sinema has let down Arizonans and caved to special interests. To date, the campaign has raised $1.2 million – including over $600,000 in grassroots donations from everyday Arizonans and Americans across the country who want to replace Kyrsten Sinema with a real Democrat. Now, as Kyrsten Sinema has left the Democratic Party, the group’s effort has shifted toward defeating Sinema in a potential three-way general election and ensuring that Arizonans have a Senator who will put everyday people ahead of corporations and special interests.
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