Arizona’s independent Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, has yet to declare whether she will seek re-election, leading to a slowdown in her fundraising efforts in the final quarter of 2023. When questioned about her future political plans, Sinema responded with a terse exchange, indicating her current focus lies elsewhere.
Reports from Sinema’s campaign reveal a drop in receipts from $826,000 in the previous quarter to about $595,000 in the last quarter of 2023. This decline suggests that Sinema’s attention has not yet shifted towards a potential re-election bid. Despite this, she still holds a substantial $10.6 million in cash on hand. However, a competitive three-way race would necessitate a significant increase in her fundraising efforts.
While Sinema has until April to file for re-election, she has remained tight-lipped about her plans. Instead, she has indicated her focus is on securing a border security deal before the Senate. When CNN asked about her re-election plans during a press gaggle, Sinema responded, “Why are you wasting your question on that? We are talking about something serious here.” She reiterated her point to the group of reporters, emphasizing her focus on substantive issues.
Sinema has been at the heart of intense negotiations over legislation to reform immigration and border policy. The process has sparked frustration among lawmakers on both sides. Despite these tensions, Sinema has been collaborating closely with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. While the negotiators have announced reaching an agreement on a plan, the bill text has not been released, and Republican House leaders have pledged to block the proposal.
Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022 but continues to caucus with them. Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake have announced their campaigns for Sinema’s US Senate seat.