Topline
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) ongoing political fallout with her own party has caused her to become more popular with Arizona Republican voters than fellow Democrats, according to recent polling, after the senator opposing a slew of legislative proposals considered top priorities among Democratic leaders.
Key Facts
Sinema's approval rating among Democrats in Arizona has slid to 43%, according to a Morning Consult poll released Monday, compared to a 55% approval rating among Republicans.
The findings mark a dramatic flip from early 2021, when Morning Consult found Sinema with a 67% approval rating among Democrats and a 35% approval rating with Republicans.
The Morning Consult poll is just the latest survey showing the Democratic senator connecting better with Republican voters than Democrats: Surveys from Arizona-based pollster OH Predictive Insights and progressive polling firm Data For Progress found similar results earlier this month, though Morning Consult had a much larger sample size.
Some 3,787 registered voters took part in Morning Consult's poll between December 21 and January 20.
Key Background
Sinema and fellow moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) opposed several proposals in 2021 that had the near unanimous backing of fellow congressional Democrats, such as adding a $15 federal minimum wage to a Covid-19 relief bill and passing a $3.5 trillion social spending bill. But she received the greatest backlash from Democrats—including censure by the Arizona Democratic Party—earlier this month, after she voted against changing filibuster rules to drop a 60-vote threshold needed to end debate on a sweeping voting bill. She and Manchin crossed party lines on the vote to change the filibuster, siding with Senate Republicans who unanimously opposed the proposal. Sinema and Manchin both argued changing the rules would only serve to fuel political division, but Democratic leadership said the move was necessary to guarantee voting rights across the country amid Republican-led efforts at the state level making it more difficult to vote. Sinema has seemed to embrace the “maverick” image that was a hallmark of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was known for crossing party lines during his 31-year Senate career. Sinema has called McCain her “personal hero.”
Crucial Quote
“I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division affecting our country,” Sinema said on the Senate floor January 13.
What To Watch For
Sinema is up for reelection in 2024, and there are already calls for Democrats to challenge her in the party's primary. Pundits note Sinema is much more vulnerable to a primary challenge than Manchin, who is a political anomaly in West Virginia—a state former President Donald Trump carried in 2020 by nearly 39 percentage points. Arizona, meanwhile, went for President Joe Biden in 2020 and elected another Democratic senator, Mark Kelly.
Further Reading
Kyrsten Sinema Censured By Arizona Democratic Party Over Her Refusal To Change Filibuster Rules (Forbes)
Sinema Won’t Support Eliminating Filibuster—Effectively Killing Democrats’ Voting Rights Bill (Forbes)
Senate Democrats Fail To Advance Voting Rights Bill — And Fall Short Of Changing Filibuster (Forbes)
James Carville: Democrats should take out Sinema but leave Joe Manchin alone (Guardian)
Democrat Sinema Says Her ‘Personal Hero’ Is Late GOP Sen. John McCain (Forbes)
