Sen Kyrsten Sinema announces she will not seek reelection

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced on Super Tuesday that she will not seek reelection when her first term ends next year.

The move from Sinema, an Arizonian who switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent in 2022, leaves the race narrowed between Republican candidate Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego.

"Our democracy was weakened by government dysfunction and the constant pull to the extremes by both political parties," Sinema said in a video announcement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I promised I would do my best to fix it."

She added, "The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic – attacking your opponents on cable news or social media. Compromise is a dirty word. We’ve arrived at that crossroad, and we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach. But it's not what America wants right now."

"With recent polling showing Kyrsten Sinema pulling far more Republican voters than Democrat voters, her decision to retire improves Kari Lake’s opportunity to flip this seat," he said.