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2 Democrat, told CNN when asked if party leaders should stay out of the race. “I’m just not worried about folks who may not like this approach,” Sinema told CNN on Thursday. On Monday, he wouldn’t say if he believes Democratic leaders should try to knock her off in 2024. Like Sinema, party leaders are now watching Manchin closely as he weighs whether to run in 2024. “I worked very closely with Sen. Sinema – two years now to get stuff done,” Kelly said.

☆ Sinema's switch to independent driven by ‘political aspirations,’ Sen. Bernie Sanders says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party was driven by “political aspirations for the future in Arizona," Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday. “I happen to suspect that it’s probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona," Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union." Along with fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sinema held strong negotiating power on Democratic priorities in the evenly divided Senate. “She is a corporate Democrat who has, in fact along with Senator Manchin, sabotaged enormously important legislation,” said Sanders, a prominent progressive lawmaker. Sinema's announcement to register as an independent came just days after Democrats reached a 51-49 Senate majority following Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in the Georgia runoff election, which expanded the party's narrowest of majorities.

☆ Bernie Sanders blasts Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema as a 'corporate Democrat' who has 'sabotaged enormously important legislation'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday blasted fellow Sen. Kyrsten Sinema as a "corporate Democrat." Sanders on CNN's "State of the Union" said Sinema has "sabotaged enormously important legislation." Sinema on Friday announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent. "She is a corporate Democrat who has, in fact, along with Senator Manchin sabotaged enormously important legislation." Sinema will retain her committee assignments through the Democratic Party going forward, meaning that 51-49 balance will hold despite her switching to become an Independent.

☆ Sen. Sinema's switch to Independent will not impact Democrats' control of the chamber, representatives say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced her decision on Friday to leave the Democrats and register as an independent, but many members of Congress have said the switch likely won't impact the Democrats' narrow control of the U.S. Senate. The pair have been wild cards for Democrats since the party gained narrow control of the Senate from Republicans in 2020. In a tweet Friday, Sinema said her decision to switch parties was a "natural extension" of her service. "I think whether she's a Democrat or a Republican, that really doesn't matter," the Democrat told NBC's "Meet the Press." By keeping her assignments, Sinema signaled she intends to continue to caucus with Democrats as an independent.

Washington CNN —Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday that “political aspirations” drove Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s exit from the Democratic Party, as he vowed to take a “hard look” at supporting a potential Democratic challenge to her in Arizona. I happen to suspect that it’s probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona. Sinema announced last week she was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, a move that is unlikely to change the power balance in the next Senate. Democrats will have a narrow 51-49 majority that includes two independents who caucus with them: Sanders and Angus King of Maine. She also brushed aside criticism she may face for the decision to leave the Democratic Party.

☆ Much Ado About Independent Kyrsten Sinema
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema ’s decision Friday to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent looks like a shrewd political move if she wants to run for re-election in 2024. What is less likely is that it will make much difference to Senate governance for the next two years. Democrats cemented their Senate majority with their victory in Georgia’s runoff on Tuesday, and Ms. Sinema’s departure doesn’t jeopardize that. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Ms. Sinema will keep her committee assignments, and she’ll still vote for President Biden’s nominees. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Maine’s Angus King are also nominally independent, but the next time they defy Democrats on a crucial vote will be the first.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

☆ The 2024 Senate map just got even more difficult for Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sinema’s interests are no longer necessarily the Democrats’ best interests in the next Congress, and the 2024 Senate map became even more complicated for Democrats with Sinema’s decision. The Democrats who run against independent Sen. Angus King in Maine have not gained traction in recent elections. Having two people in the race who are going to caucus with the Democratic Party likely makes it more difficult for the Democrats to win. All that said, the Democrats already have a difficult map heading into 2024. With Sinema’s break from the Democratic party, the road is, if nothing else, curvier for Democrats.

CNN —A Republican senator became emotional as he spoke in deeply personal terms about the importance of mental health care in America. A loved one, a friend, someone you know, that has serious mental illness.”For Cassidy, the issue is personal. Or, we can say we’re going to attempt to do something about it,” he told CNN. In May, Cassidy, alongside Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, introduced legislation to expand and improve upon a bipartisan mental health measure that had expired in September. “Whether or not it’s passed, at the end of the year, I can’t tell you that,” Cassidy told CNN.

Sinema herself, however, said she would not caucus with the Republican Party, according to an interview Politico published on Friday. It will be up to Senate Democrats to foil Republican initiatives. Sinema and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin have kept Washington in suspense over the last two years as they repeatedly withheld needed votes for legislation sought by Biden. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) walks from her hideaway office to the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. August 2, 2022. Just this week, Sinema and Republican Senator Thom Tillis unveiled an immigration reform plan that is getting bipartisan attention in the Senate.

☆ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party and registers as an independent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mike-Memoli-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has announced she is leaving the Democratic Party and officially registering as an independent. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves the Capitol building on Oct. 27, 2021. After joining the Democratic Party, she served in the Arizona state Legislature and went on to win a seat in the U.S. House in 2012 representing the Phoenix area. The Biden administration was informed of Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party “mid-afternoon” on Thursday, a senior administration official said. Biden did acknowledge Sinema in his remarks, however, saying: “I want to thank Senator Sinema, who can’t be with us today.

Come next year, Democrats will have unilateral subpoena power in many committees to compel investigative targets to provide documents and testimony — without needing GOP support. “Our committees will have greater oversight ability, subpoena power. Subpoena power can deal with corporate corruption and inequities, and other problems throughout the country,” he said. “And if using subpoena power becomes necessary, then that’s something we can do.”Other Democrats floated industries that could be the targets of the party's subpoena powers. “But having subpoena power for CEOs and billionaires who think they don’t have to come to Congress to explain themselves will be very valuable.”

☆ U.S. lawmakers urge Biden to guarantee rail workers' sick leave
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - More than 70 lawmakers including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday urged President Joe Biden to take executive action to guarantee rail workers paid sick days. On Dec. 2, Biden signed legislation to block a national U.S. railroad strike that could have devastated the American economy after some unions voted against the deal over a lack of paid sick leave. The White House did not immediately comment on the lawmakers' letter, signed by 72 Democratic lawmakers and Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. Railroad workers have no paid short-term sick days after unions representing 115,000 workers asked for 15 days and railroads settled on one personal day. "Guaranteeing that workers are not operating trains or inspecting rail signals while sick or tired would fundamentally improve the safety of our national rail operations," the letter said.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's bombshell split from the Democratic Party could be more about sidestepping a tough 2024 primary than a principled stand against partisanship
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But the decision means she'll avoid what likely would've been a bruising Democratic primary campaign. That means her decision may be as much about side-stepping what was expected to be a tough Senate primary campaign in 2024 as it is a principled stand against partisan politics. In a statement on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear that the party's functional 51-49 majority next year would remain. Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans." As Senate majority leader, Schumer has control of who serves on committees in the chamber.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive TV interview. While Sanders and King formally caucus with Democrats, Sinema declined to explicitly say that she would do the same. She also brushed aside criticism she may face for the decision to leave the Democratic Party. “Nothing about the last two years indicates a major effort would’ve made helped – the exact opposite actually,” a White House official said. After a vote against filibuster changes in January, the Arizona Democratic Party’s executive board censured Sinema.

☆ Elon Musk praises Kyrsten Sinema for leaving the Democratic Party: 'I hope more of our elected leaders act independently'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk praised Sen. Krysten Sinema for leaving the Democratic Party. "I hope more of our elected leaders act independently ...," Musk wrote on Twitter. Elon Musk wrote on Twitter. Musk wrote on Twitter. Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán blasted Sinema as someone who "has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans."

☆ Sinema's exit from the Democratic Party could hand Manchin back some power over Biden's agenda
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent. It changes the balance of power in the Senate, though Sinema sought to downplay the extent. But Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's announcement early Friday that she is leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent soured that victory, and again altered the balance of power. Though that group already included two independents — Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Angus King — it was signed-up Democrats, Sinema and Manchin, who caused the most trouble. "Becoming an independent won't change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same," she said in an op-ed announcing her departure from the Democratic Party.

☆ U.S. Senator Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) walks from her hideaway office to the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. August 2, 2022. Senator Kyrsten Sinema said on Friday she had switched her political party affiliation to independent, leaving the Democratic Party just days after it won a U.S. Senate race in Georgia to secure 51 seats in the chamber. I registered as an Arizona independent," she said in a op-ed for local media outlet Arizona Central. Sinema, in a separate Politico interview published on Friday, said she would not caucus with the Republican Party. Sinema on Friday said her shift came as a growing number of people in her Western U.S. state were also declaring themselves politically independent, rejecting both the Republican and Democratic political labels.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks Kyrsten Sinema's announcement to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent: 'She lays out no goals for Arizonans'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ocasio-Cortez joins a number of Democrats who criticized Sinema on Friday over her bombshell decision to leave the party and register as an independent. The Arizona Democratic Party blasted the first-term senator, saying in a statement that her "party registration means nothing if she continues not to listen to her constituents." Sinema's announcement comes after Democrats expanded their Senate majority in the midterm elections, allowing the party to move more quickly on legislation and nominations. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House responded to Sinema's decision on Friday by declaring the Senate's new 51-49 power balance remains unchanged. "I believe she's a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate," Schumer said in a statement.

He got away with it because in a 50-50 Senate, Manchin had a ton of leverage and could force Senate Democratic leaders to make numerous concessions or else get nothing passed. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images fileA 51-49 Senate majority doesn’t completely quell Democratic headaches over having to corral their own. Like Manchin, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has bucked her Democratic colleagues. In a 51-49 Senate, Democrats also will have unilateral power to issue subpoenas. This leaves Senate Democrats in a much rosier position concerning chickens and just about everything else.

☆ Biden waiting too long to announce his reelection bid could be 'disastrous' for other Democratic contenders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But they may be reluctant to jump in the race if President Joe Biden plans to run for reelection. If he keeps Democrats waiting too long, other possible contenders may have to start running or get left behind. "No one's going to get in before Biden will, before Biden makes his decision," said Rep. Seth Moulton, of Massachusetts, who ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Biden has said his intention is to run for reelection, and he expects to make his official decision early next year. Asked about other Democratic candidates, Warren responded: "What about 'em?

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

☆ Biden's 2024 primary calendar gives Kamala Harris an edge in a future White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's push to make South Carolina the first major battleground in Democratic presidential primaries has a second big beneficiary: Vice President Kamala Harris. "It's a good demographic mix of having to appeal to Black voters, White working-class voters and Latino and Asian American voters." “How many Black voters are persuaded that the Democratic Party cares about them because South Carolina goes first? South Carolina, one of the most Republican states in the country, isn't competitive at the presidential level in general elections. “South Carolina is also known to be kind to those who’ve been kind to her,” he said.

☆ Tulsi Gabbard's one-time Democratic colleagues are both perplexed and unsurprised by her far-right pivot: 'An Elise Stefanik kind of turn'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party before campaign with far-right Republicans. "Nope," Sanders said when Insider asked if he'd like to talk about former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an early supporter of his 2016 presidential campaign. "I'm not surprised," said Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, another former Armed Services Committee colleague of Gabbard's. Hawaii's two Democratic senators — Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz — both declined to speculate about what may be driving Gabbard's political movement, despite serving with her in the Hawaii delegation. "I think she's home," Hirono said repeatedly when asked what she thought had happened, referring to Gabbard's political home.

Now Biden faces a backlash from a core of rail workers and allied groups, as some of them see a betrayal in the bill he pushed to avert a rail strike. The standoff between rail workers and the profitable companies that employ them posed an awkward dilemma for Biden, forcing him to find an elusive middle ground between dueling campaign pledges. A rail strike threatened to unravel the job gains that no doubt will be central to any Biden re-election campaign. He said he is not giving up on paid sick leave for rail workers and other Americans who don’t receive such benefits. …”Still, the president could have used more leverage to reach a deal that included paid sick leave, union officials and allies contend.

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