When a politician is elected on the ticket of one of the two major political parties, I believe they are obligated to serve their entire term as a member of that party. It's a betrayal, and I don't use that word lightly, to make a party switch in the middle of a term to which they were elected by the voters under the banner of, and with the resources and support of, the party.
Kyrsten Sinema was elected by Arizona voters, with the full support of the Arizona Democratic party, along with considerable financial backing of the Democratic National Committee. After decades of political frustration in one of the most politically backward states in the country, Democrats won a Senate seat in a statewide election, laying a foundation for the eventual victory that the party experienced in 2020, with Joe Biden being only the second Democrat to carry the state since Harry S. Truman in 1948. With Mark Kelly subsequently winning Arizona's other Senate seat, Democrats in Arizona finally had some gains to celebrate.
No doubt, Sinema has been a disappointment to those who elected her, especially since Democrats got control of Congress in 2018, and then the Senate in 2020. Her history in the state legislature and as a politician would indicate that she was a progressive, or at the very least, a left-leaning moderate, coming from membership in the Green Party, self-identified as a "Prada socialist," and from some leadership among Democrats in a Republican dominated Arizona legislature. A native of my own hometown, Tucson, which is a Democratic stronghold in Arizona and has been for decades, it is difficult to consider any scenario that would transform someone, whose own personal freedom as the second LGBTQ female to be elected to the Senate has been supported by Democrats and not Republicans, from a progressive background to a centrist independent. Regardless, to make that switch while still in office lacks integrity and is a betrayal of those who voted for her and supported her election.
I'm not going to speculate on possible political ambition, on who contributes to her political election funds or any other reason for her to do something like this. She's an alumnus of Brigham Young University, something in her background that I've wondered about since her name first came to prominence in Arizona Democratic politics, and was raised in the LDS Church, though she left it after finishing at BYU, and got her law degrees from the much more liberal Arizona State University. Still, Mormonism is a cult with strong indoctrination, and the ability to develop moral and spiritual control over people's lives. That does make me wonder a bit about this sudden "independent" streak of hers.
But leaving a political party that was instrumental in the successful achievement of political ambitions is dishonest and deceitful, and is a demonstrable lack of character. More than the mess she created among Democrats in the Senate, and her inexcusable behavior, this is a character flaw that disqualifies her for public office as just another dishonest politician who can't be trusted, and isn't qualified to serve. That's the bottom line.
My hope is that Arizona Democrats start now on the process of finding a candidate for this seat who will be able to replace her in 2024. She will not be a Democratic candidate so the field is wide open. The success Democrats have had in Arizona recently, as their registration numbers increase due to higher Latino involvement and population growth mainly from California and the Northeast, means that the Democratic nominee will have the inside track for victory in the general election. I seriously doubt Sinema will take votes away from the Democratic senate nominee. I know enough about Arizona politics to know that she's done. Republicans aren't going to support her. A strong candidate with a solid campaign will win this seat back for Democrats in 2024.
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