Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said on Tuesday that she would not seek re-election, ending more than a year of speculation about her political future and clearing the race for a traditional matchup between the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees.
“Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” she said in a video announcement.
Ms. Sinema, a first-term senator who left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, faced potentially long odds in another race.
Her decision to bow out of the race now sets up a showdown directly between Representative Ruben Gallego and the eventual Republican nominee.
Kari Lake, the former nominee for governor — and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump who has championed his baseless election fraud theories — is the leading candidate in the Republican primary, though Mark Lamb, a sheriff, is also running.
Persons:
Kyrsten Sinema, ”, Sinema, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake, —, Donald J, Trump, Mark Lamb, Biden’s, Joe Manchin III
Organizations:
eventual Democratic, Democratic Party, Republican
Locations:
Arizona, West Virginia