Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona independent who left the Democratic Party last year, announced Tuesday she will retire from the Senate at the end of her term, decrying the "anger and division" overtaking American politics.
"Compromise is a dirty word. We've arrived at that crossroads, and we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach, but it's not what America wants right now," Sinema said in a video announcing her decision not to seek reelection in 2024.
The first-term senator's centrist approach and willingness to buck her former Democratic colleagues made her a pivotal player in the evenly-divided Senate the past two years. However, it also strained relations with the left and sparked threats of a primary challenge from Rep. Ruben Gallego and other Democrats.
"Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year," Sinema said, bemoaning the rise of "partisanship and mud-slinging in Washington."
Sinema's announcement sets up a hotly-contested race for a Senate seat that could prove crucial in determining control of the chamber after 2024. Leading Republican candidate Kari Lake and Democratic frontrunner Gallego swiftly trained their fire on each other in the wake of the news.
"As we look ahead, Arizona is at a crossroads...I welcome all Arizonans, including Senator Sinema, to join me in that mission," said Gallego. Lake, the failed 2022 gubernatorial candidate, is hoping for a different result statewide.
Sinema began her political career as a Green Party activist and progressive Arizona legislator who once branded the state the "meth lab of democracy." She later joined the Democrats, won a U.S. House seat in 2012, and pulled an upset Senate victory in 2018 by projecting a more moderate image.
As a senator, Sinema frequently positioned herself as a deal-broker between the parties. She played a key role negotiating the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, and gun safety legislation - while also angering Democrats by single-handedly blocking certain Biden agenda items she opposed.
The increasing tensions culminated in Sinema's December 2022 decision to leave the Democratic Party and re-register as an independent, declaring "I've never fit neatly into any party box."
While no longer caucusing with Democrats, Sinema continued wielding influence, helping negotiate a recent border security deal that was ironically tanked due to opposition from Republicans heeding former President Trump's harsh criticism.
"What I've demonstrated...is that I have a proven track record of bringing disparate interests and groups together, finding common ground and moving forward with bipartisan solutions," she told NBC News at the time.
However, Sinema's brand of maverick centrism appeared increasingly out of step in a nation riven by acrimony. Her own path to re-election looked daunting, with polls showing her trailing both Lake and Gallego in a hypothetical three-way race.
Ultimately, the 46-year-old senator concluded "it's not what America wants right now" and opted to avoid an ugly political brawl, instead making 2024 her last stand in the Senate.
"I'm not going anywhere, I've been incredibly proud to represent the state," Sinema added. But her unique Senate tenure defined by both bipartisan deals and intra-party feuding is clearly drawing to a close, another casualty of Washington's bitter partisanship.
