Arizona Democrats are turning on a Senator considered to be one of the most bipartisan in the country.
Rep. Ruben Gallego attacked Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Monday, blasting the Democrat for insufficiently supporting the party’s candidates in an election where they won nearly every statewide office.
“Senator Sinema was nowhere to be found,” alleged Gallego, a pugilistic progressive, according to Newsweek.
In an MSNBC interview, Gallego accused Sinema of abandoning Arizona Democrats in an election where she could’ve been a useful surrogate.
Gallego has all but confirmed he intends to run against Sinema in a 2024 Senate primary.
Sinema was the target of a symbolic censure from the Arizona Democratic Party for her refusal to abolish the Senate filibuster earlier this year.
Sinema and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin have prevented Democrats from abolishing the Senate rule in a party-line vote, a prerequisite to ramming through a partisan agenda with 50 votes.
Sinema kept a low profile in Arizona’s midterm, fundraising for Sen. Mark Kelly while declining to appear at events for Arizona Democrats, according to the Daily Beast.
Sinema was the only Democratic statewide official or candidate who didn’t appear at a November rally with former President Barack Obama, and she only confirmed that she was voting for Katie Hobbs two weeks before Election Day.
With her party getting used to giving her a cold shoulder, maybe it isn’t completely out of the picture to imagine Sinema becoming a Republican.
Stranger things have happened.
The moderate-leaning Senator does have personal relationships with Republican elected officials, such as Mitt Romney and even pro-Trump conservative Andy Biggs.
While it’s not an understatement to say that Sinema has worn out her welcome with her own party, it’s safe to say she’s not exactly a conservative Republican, either.
The Democrat is reliably pro-abortion.
Sinema even espoused far-left views as a member of the Green Party in the 2000’s, but her political rhetoric has gravitated toward moderation.
Still, perhaps being harangued by Democrats like Gallego is good enough reason to change one’s views. Sinema would not be the first Democrat alienated by her peers’ extremism.
In any event, after an election in which Arizona Republicans lost a basket of races they should’ve won, it wouldn’t hurt to take a hard look at the merits of any candidate who can actually win in the state.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
