Kyrsten Sinema
Bipartisan negotiation, defending the Senate filibuster, and a self-described rejection of partisan politics.
Kyrsten Sinema served in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2019 and in the U.S. Senate from 2019 to 2025. She was the first openly bisexual person elected to Congress and became known for bipartisan negotiations and for defending the Senate’s filibuster rules. In December 2022 she left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, choosing not to seek reelection in 2024.
The strongest case
Sinema argues that durable policy comes from cross-party coalitions rather than narrow majorities, citing her role in bipartisan deals as evidence the approach delivers. Supporters say her defense of Senate procedure and her formal independence reflect a consistent belief that guardrails and negotiation outlast the party that happens to hold power.
And against
Critics question the incentives behind Sinema's positioning, noting the shift in some of her stances between her House career and Senate tenure and her heavy fundraising from industries affected by her votes. Others argue that defending process without a clear substantive throughline made it difficult to identify a stable set of principles beyond opposition to her former party's leadership.
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On the record
On December 9, 2022, Sinema announced she had left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, while retaining her committee assignments. [source]