Kyrsten Sinema Of Arizona

A Major Turnover In 119th Congress To Occur!

A major turnover is coming in the 119th Congress, which will meet from January 2025-January 2027.

Already, eight Senators and 43 House members are not running for reelection, and turnover by defeat is likely in many other cases.

Among the US Senators who are retiring are the following:

Mitt Romney of Utah
Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Ben Cardin of Maryland
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Tom Carper of Delaware

At least 11 Democrats and 14 Republicans are leaving the House of Representatives.

Additionally, a few well known individuals ran for the Senate and have been eliminated, specifically Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in California, while Adam Schiff is on the way to likely Senate membership after ending up first in the California Senate primary.

Dean Phillips of Minnesota chose to challenge Joe Biden in a lost cause, and is leaving the House as a result.

Elissa Slotkin in Michigan; Alex Mooney in West Virginia; Colin Allred in Texas; Andy Kim in New Jersey; and Ruben Gallego in Arizona are among those leaving the House of Representatives to run for the US Senate seats in their states.

A lot more turnover is likely, as many other incumbents face the possibility of defeat this November.

Super Tuesday Results In Vermont, Arizona And North Carolina Positives For Democrats In Upcoming National Elections In November!

The Super Tuesday election results were predictable, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump performing well.

But Trump has some major negatives moving forward, including:

Nikki Haley winning Vermont and DC, and taking about a third of all votes in a number of other state primaries, a sign of Republicans who are not likely to support Trump in November. Since Trump did not ever have a majority of popular votes in 2016 or 2020, he can ill afford to lose the Haley votes, but it will be hard for him to gain that, while facing 91 indictment counts!

The decision of Independent Kyrsten Sinema to give up reelection to the Senate in Arizona makes the Senate race a direct battle between MAGA Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, with Lake being a flawed candidate who already lost the gubernatorial race in 2022 to Governor Katie Hobbs.

The nomination of MAGA Republican Mark Robinson to oppose state Attorney General Josh Stein in North Carolina for the Governorship is another burden for Republicans to bear, realizing that Stein won two races for Attorney General in 2016 and 2020 when Trump was on the ballot in the state in his two Presidential runs.

Both Arizona and North Carolina are crucial states in the Presidential Election of 2024, and Democrats have just gained an edge in both states!

Tough Election Races In 2024 For Democrats In US Senate

The US Senate races for 2024 are likely to be tough times for Democrats, who have to defend 23 seats, while Republicans have to defend only 10 seats.

Four Democratic seats–in Maryland, Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia—are greatly endangered, and with only a 51-49 majority in the US Senate, including three Independents (Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Angus King of Maine, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona), who ally with the Democrats, but Sinema’s seat also in play if she decides to run again as an Independent after breaking her ties with the Democrats, as it would create a three way race in that state.

Only three Republican seats out of 10 are in some danger, but likely to remain Republican—Florida with Rick Scott, Missouri with Josh Hawley, and Texas with Ted Cruz.

So while it seems highly likely that the House of Representatives will switch from Republican control to Democratic control, with 17 Republican controlled seats being Joe Biden districts won in 2020, it is highly likely that we will still see divided Congressional government with a possible Republican controlled Senate, and continued gridlock and stalemate operating in the legislative branch of government in 2025-2026!

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford Abandoned By His Own Party On Border Bill

Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford, a certain conservative in his views, has been working with Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy to create legislation to deal with the border crisis with Mexico, which has led to thousands of migrants daily coming into the nation’s southern border.

The bill they have drawn up is not one that liberals would like, and includes concessions by President Joe Biden, and is connected with legislation to provide support for Ukraine and Israel, and also provide support for Taiwan.

It is a compromise bill far from perfect, but is a real attempt to deal with a number of crucial issues, but Donald Trump wants no action, and the Republican House and many Republicans in the Senate are bowing to him in an outrageous way, and avoiding resolving an issue that cannot safely wait until 2025, when Trump hopes to be back in the White House.

The Republican Party is continuing its decline into the dustbin of history, by their slavish obedience to the twice impeached, four times indicted nightmare of Donald Trump.

But meanwhile, the nation is being put into crisis in both domestic and foreign policy!

Joe Manchin Not Running For Reelection: No Great Loss For Democrats!

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has announced he will not run for reelection in 2024, as it seems clear that the heavily Republican state would be highly unlikely to reelect him, despite his basic conservative voting record.

His leaving the Senate will make it more difficult for the Democrats to keep the Senate majority, also undermined by Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona becoming an Independent, and likely meaning her Senate seat will be a very difficult seat to retain, as well as West Virginia!

Manchin was a necessary evil in the Democratic Party, a person tolerated despite his right wing orientation, and the US Senate is now a body that will ever more be in danger of ending up under the control of MAGA Republican forces. This scenario is likely, unless the Democrats, who have been successful once again in political races, are able to overcome their disadvantage with a total commitment to maximizing the struggle for American democracy in the Congressional and Presiential Elections of 2024!

No Labels Movement Demonstrating There Are No Republicans Worth Trusting To Recognize Danger Of Donald Trump In 2024!

The “No Labels” Movement is demonstrating that there are NO Republicans worth trusting to recognize the danger of Donald Trump in 2024!

Most of those who are publicly backing “No Labels’ are Republicans, who had been perceived as being mainstream and reasonable, but no longer have that image with recent revelations.

How could Jon Huntsman, Jr, former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China and Russia, be willing to attack Joe Biden, when Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are such threats to civil order in the future?

How could Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who this author and blogger had always respected as “decent” and “balanced”, now assert that if the choice is between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, she is for West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who has done more to undermine his party and Joe Biden than anyone imaginable other than Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema?

And former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is another Republican who one now feels disillusionment toward, since he so admires former President Ronald Reagan, not seeing the major shortcomings of the 40th President, and not willing to support Joe Biden over Trump or DeSantis.

And New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu seems to be another possible supporter of “No Labels”, but who also does not understand that a third party contender could only help Trump, not Biden, in November 2024!

Party Loyalty over principles and the nation’s welfare is an indication of how dangerous the present situation is, and makes one also furious at former Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, who has lost all sense of reality in his opposition to Joe Biden!

To think that the former Vice Presidential running mate for Al Gore in the Presidential Election of 2000 would abandon Biden in a difficult time like now, is mind boggling!

The threat of “No Labels” is real, and concerning, for the future of the nation!

Kyrsten Sinema Becomes Independent, 11th Since The 17th Amendment Passage In 1913!

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced today that she is becoming an Independent, making for three Independents, all of whom will still caucus with the Democratic Party.

The other two Senators are Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, who have been Independents in the Senate for 16 years and 10 years respectively.

Altogether, Sinema becomes the 11th US Senator since the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, calling for popular vote for the Senate, to become an Independent for a substantial period of time.

Sinema is unreliable in her vote, with an early progressive background two decades ago, but much more conservative once she came to the House of Representatives in 2013, and the US Senate in 2019.

But on most matters, the Democrats are in a better position with 51 Senators including three Independents than the present 50 Senators and two Independents.

It is clear that the Arizona Senate race in 2024 will be a three way race, of Independent Sinema, Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego (who was planning to challenge her for the nomination), and a Republican opponent.

So Sinema could keep her Senate seat theoretically with less than a majority of the vote in a three way contest!

A Great Advantage For Democrats In Senate In The 118th Congress!

With the gain of one seat by Democrats in the US Senate, the political equation changes dramatically!

Now there will be one more Democrat on every Senate committee, rather than an even number.

No longer will Vice President Kamala Harris be needed regularly to break Senate ties.

No longer will it be essential that both Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona be in on every vote, and with both of them facing reelection in 2024.

It will be easier to gain judicial confirmations, very important for the future of the courts, and were a Supreme Court Justice leave the Court, it could create a more balanced Court.

If there was a vacancy or party switch, the Democrats would still control the Senate.

Legislation will be easier to pass the Senate, although it likely would fail to gain support of the narrowly majority Republican House of Representatives.

Finally, keeping the control of the Senate will be very difficult in 2024, as only 10 seats are Republican controlled, and will be hard to gain, so the Democrats have to work to find a way to avoid more than a one seat loss.

Some of the Republicans running for reelection in 2024 are particularly despicable, and Democrats need to find viable candidates to fight them, and hopefully, defeat them, including

Ted Cruz of Texas
Rick Scott of Florida
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee

It is time to start recruitment of Democrats in Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Tennessee to attempt to gain at least one or two Republican seats in 2024!

At the same time, at least 3 Democratic Senators are likely to have a rough time in 2024, including Manchin and Sinema, along with Jon Tester of Montana, and Sinema is likely to have an intraparty battle with Ruben Gallego, 7th District Congressman.

Joe Manchin Has Destroyed Any Chance Of Joe Biden Adding Accomplishments Before Midterms!

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has, singlehandedly, destroyed any chance of President Biden being able to add accomplishments to his record after 18 months, with the Midterm Elections of 2022 on the horizon.

He has acted in bad faith with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as the Biden Administration, and one wonders why he is assisting Republicans while remaining a Democrat.

This is the ultimate crisis of the Biden Presidency, being held hostage by Manchin and by Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, both clearly more “Republicrats”, rather than Democrats.

It is now clear that the Senate elections of 2022 will determine if there is any chance of Joe Biden accomplishing more in his term!

Oh, for the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson!

US Senate Races Crucial For Both Democrats And Republicans In 2022

As in every even year, the US Senate faces one third of its membership facing election contests this November.

Six Senators are retiring, five Republican (Richard Shelby of Alabama, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), and one Democrat (Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

Besides these six open seats, 28 other Senators are running for reelection, with a total of 20 Republican seats up, and 14 Democrats.

This should give the Democrats the advantage in gaining seats, and if even one seat is added, the Democrats will have control, and if two seats are gained, the unreliability of Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia will not have as much impact and influence in holding up Democratic Party goals for legislation.

On the other hand, if the Republicans gain just one seat, Mitch McConnell becomes Majority Leader, and this will hamper the remainder of the Joe Biden Presidency in this term.

The best hopes for the Democrats are to win Ohio with Congressman Tim Ryan, who was a Presidential contender in 2020; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Wisconsin; and Florida, where Marco Rubio faces challenge from Congresswoman Val Demings.

THe best hopes for the Republicans are to win Arizona, where Mark Kelly faces a tough fight; Georgia, where Reverend Ralphael Warnock has a serious challenge; Nevada, where Catherine Cortez Masto has a close race; and New Hampshire, where Maggie Hassan has a challenging race.