# Sinema leaves the Democratic party; registers as Independent (she’s not seeking re-election.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 9, 2022, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258 "2022-12-09T11:53:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/101 "2022-12-20T21:01:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is it even a given that she could get on the ballot as an independent? It just takes money to hire signature gatherers. Apparently she still a few million in her election campaign to hire them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/102 "2022-12-20T21:02:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is it even a given that she could get on the ballot as an independent? Not necessarily a given. This page on Ballotpedia indicates that, for an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from Arizona, she would need to file a petition which includes the signatures of at least 3% of the registered voters in the state, who are not affiliated with a political party. > **[Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Arizona](https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Arizona#Process_to_become_a_candidate)** > > Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics Edit: this article indicates that, in 2022, there are about 1.4 million Arizona voters who are not registered as Republican or Democratic. Obviously, the numbers would be a bit different in 2024, but if the law remains the same, it’d mean she would need about 42,000 signatures. > **[Republicans lead voter registration but no party voters are catching up](https://news.azpm.org/p/newsc/2022/8/2/212187-republicans-lead-voter-registration-but-no-party-votes-are-catching-up/)** > > Voters registered with no party are continuing their decades long growth. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/103 "2022-12-20T21:03:24Z")
Yep. She’s the Arizona business community’s favorite Democrat. They’ll be happy to pass the hat to get her on the ballot. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/104 "2022-12-20T21:08:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Probably not a given. This page on Ballotpedia indicates that, for an independent candidate for U.S. Senate from Arizona, she would need to file a petition which includes the signatures of at least 3% of the registered voters in the state, who are not affiliated with a political party. Note that the cite says she need a number of signatures equal to three percent of the number of independent voters, but that those signatures don’t actually need to come from independent voters. I don’t think this will be a tough bar for her to clear, Republicans may signature collect for her. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/105 "2022-12-22T15:04:30Z")
_The Daily Beast_ published a leaked, 37-page memo from Sinema’s office that outlines the duties and responsibilities that her Senate staff are expected to do in addition to their actual, tax-payer funded jobs – like getting her groceries and letting repairmen into her apartment. This is a violation of Senate ethics rules, but – as someone with some knowledge of staff work – I can say that the unusual thing about this isn’t that staff are expected to perform personal errands for the Senator, but rather that they were dumb enough to put it in writing. > **[The Incredible 37-Page Guide for Staffing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-incredible-37-page-guide-for-staffing-sen-kyrsten-sinema?ref=home)** > > Aides to the Arizona senator were expected to get her groceries, fix her internet, and learn her very specific preferences for airline seats, according to an internal memo. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/106 "2022-12-22T16:10:44Z")
The Trump years have been a giant leap forward in shedding any last veneers of shame. If everyone is just gonna shrug and say “whattayagonnado,” then high profile people aren’t gonna waste time pretending to follow quaint concepts like ethics rules. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/107 "2022-12-23T04:12:18Z")
She’s not the first Senator to require staffers to run personal errands on her behalf. See Klobuchar, Amy. [Amy Klobuchar Mistreatment Accusations Pose Challenge to 2020 Campaign (businessinsider.com)](https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-klobuchar-mistreating-staff-email-report-2019-2) ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/108 "2022-12-23T07:11:11Z")
Also possibly Kamala Harris? I think I remember staffers complaining about her, too. I categorize stuff like this along with stars who have riders stipulating that people can’t look them in the eye. It’s not exactly a great look, and I would strive not to do the same were I in that position, but it’s not wholly unreasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/109 "2022-12-23T14:17:26Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > It’s not exactly a great look, and I would strive not to do the same were I in that position, but it’s not wholly unreasonable. Yeah, on the list of Things of Which to be Outraged About, this is very low. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/110 "2022-12-23T15:08:15Z")
I think it was this one where she was described as a mean boss. [https://nypost.com/2021/12/06/kamala-harris-described-as-a-bully-and-soul-destroying-boss/](https://nypost.com/2021/12/06/kamala-harris-described-as-a-bully-and-soul-destroying-boss/) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/111 "2022-12-23T15:13:45Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > She’s not the first Senator to require staffers to run personal errands on her behalf. See Klobuchar, Amy. > > [Amy Klobuchar Mistreatment Accusations Pose Challenge to 2020 Campaign (businessinsider.com)](https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-klobuchar-mistreating-staff-email-report-2019-2) I believe that it is, in fact, illegal to use staffers on the public payroll to run personal errands. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/112 "2022-12-23T16:54:18Z")
Which is what flurb said; the unusual thing is that she was stupid enough to leave a paper trail. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/113 "2022-12-23T17:25:55Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > It’s not exactly a great look, and I would strive not to do the same were I in that position, but it’s not wholly unreasonable. Oh no, it’s completely unreasonable. For the most part, we’re talking about low-paid staff assistants (or not-paid-at-all interns) who are expected to be on call outside of normal work hours and to perform duties that have nothing at all to do with their taxpayer-funded jobs. (And God help you if they find out you have a car – you’ll find yourself circling for hours outside of some lobbyist’s cocktail party waiting for whenever the boss decides he/she’s ready to leave.) It’s against Congressional ethics rules and potentially illegal. And it happens all the time, because speaking up will kill your career and low-level staff are replaceable at the drop of a hat. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/114 "2023-01-23T17:46:26Z")
UPDATE: [Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego will run for AZ Senate seat](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/us/politics/ruben-gallego-kyrsten-sinema-senate.html?action=click&block=more_in_recirc&impression_id=2ea2e6f0-9b45-11ed-93c2-754ee41364d0&index=6&pgtype=Article®ion=footer). (NY Times, probably paywalled) > Representative Ruben Gallego, a progressive Democrat from Phoenix, announced on Monday that he would run for the Senate in 2024, setting up a potential face-off with Senator Kyrsten Sinema over her seat that could carry high stakes for Democrats’ control of the upper chamber. > > Mr. Gallego, a 43-year-old former state lawmaker and U.S. Marine veteran, began his campaign with a [video](https://twitter.com/RubenGallego/status/1617507452198469636) in which he declares his run to a group of fellow veterans at American Legion Post 124 in Guadalupe, Ariz., near Phoenix. In it, he highlights his humble Chicago origins and his combat experience in Iraq, and he pledges to fight to extend the [American dream](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/us/politics/republicans-american-dream.html) to more families. > Ms. Sinema, whose opposition to key elements of her party’s agenda had angered Democrats, [left the party in December](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/09/us/politics/kyrsten-sinema-democrats.html) and registered as an independent. Democrats in Arizona quickly turned their attention to her seat. It is expected that Ms. Sinema will seek re-election, but she has not yet announced her intentions. > > In his campaign ad, Mr. Gallego sought to draw sharp contrasts between himself and Ms. Sinema, taking subtle swipes at the first-term senator over her leadership and ties to corporate interests. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/115 "2023-01-23T18:12:14Z")
Interesting take from Daily Kos: > **[AZ-Sen: Why Wait? Ambassador Sinema = Senator Gallego NOW](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/23/2148798/-AZ-Sen-Why-Wait-Ambassador-Sinema-Senator-Gallego-NOW?pm_source=story_sidebar&pm_medium=web&pm_campaign=recommended)** > > Perhaps no one reading this here wants to reward Kyrsten Sinema for the many ways she’s failed America over the past two years, when she could have, by herself, made the lives better for tens, if not hundreds of millions of people. However, politics... This is thinking outside the box. I wonder if it would work? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/116 "2023-01-23T18:19:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This is thinking outside the box. I wonder if it would work I like this idea. I’m also guessing that Kari Lake will be running on the GOP ticket. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/117 "2023-01-23T18:26:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This is thinking outside the box. You saying that I’m one month smarter than the Daily Kos? Seems about right. > [@slicedalone](#): > > It would be supremely smart of Biden to offer her some exalted position and drop out of the race. Ambassador to France? Secretary of the Interior? Federal Judge? Something that she could rebuild her reputation with voters with? In like ten or twenty years, she might be able to run for Governor or VP on the Dem ticket–as it stands, her name is mud for elective office if she costs the Dems a Senate seat. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/118 "2023-01-23T18:37:32Z")
To which I reply: Yep, looks like you are! But now you are no longer a solitary nutball spouting off on a third-rate message board. Now, now you at the forefront of a Movement. Stand Proud! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/119 "2023-01-23T18:43:34Z")
Heck, make her a federal judge. She could easily turn down an ambassadorship, but a lifetime judge gig? Nah. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258/120 "2023-01-23T19:10:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This is thinking outside the box. I wonder if it would work? Too far outside the box imho. Sinema is a selfish attention hog. She enjoys being able to hold the Ds in the Senate hostage. I can’t imagine why she would agree to giving up her seat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinema-leaves-the-democratic-party-registers-as-independent-she-s-not-seeking-re-election/976258.md?page=7)