Kyrsten Sinema goes independent, scrambles Senate

[BoringGuy45]

Won't matter as long as Schumer's dickremoras are the committee chairs to spike anything we like and ram through anything they like. Only thing that changes that is costing them Majority Caucus status, and going from a 51-49 split to a 50-49-1 split still means they hold the majority by one. The only way this changes anything is if she leaves the D Caucus and drags Manchin out the door with her to form their own "indie caucus" making 49-49-2.

Otherwise... well, Mr. Frog, I hope you're either well stocked on antivenins or have cultivated an immunity to scorpion toxin.

It's certainly possible with Manchin. He's as conservative as many Republicans on many issues, much more than Sinema, and his seat for 2024 is in more severe danger with as deep red as WV is now. It might already be too late for him as he stance on a lot of energy bills pissed off the coal mining industry. Reversing course and joining the GOP might be the only thing keeping him from getting voted out.

[ABNAK]

I can kind of agree with all of that, but she had that already. Slapping an "I" next to her name doesn't change the ground game but it does make it much harder for her to win in 2024. She is essentially ceding the primary to Gallego. It does give her time to prepare for a 3 way race, but trying to pull a Lieberman is gonna be tough. I'm trying to figure out what she thinks she is gonna get out of this. Even if you hate her you gotta admit she is smart and shrewd. I'm not seeing the upside for her.

Anytime a politician makes a choice it's all about them. So I'm trying to figure out what's in this for Sinema.

Maybe she sees the faux transition of Tulsi Gabbard and her seeming popularity on the Right (with those of dim wits of course) and thinks she can pull the same thing off? I dunno.

[OutofBatt3ry]

Meh, I'd happy disappoint her in the sack.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

There are more than a few Dem senators with GOP governors. Say someone dies in office, Wellstone and Carnahan happened in our lifetimes, and has to be replaced.

[Averageman]

She just upped her status now didn't she?
The Democrats should see her as the new "Wild Card", she gets special attention and press.
Works all the way around for her in many ways now doesn't it?
She doing to the Democrats what McCaine did to republicans, or potentially will. She will recieve both acclamations and ire from both the Left and the Right.

[flenna]

Dream on. She's still gonna caucus with the Dems. She toes the party line 93% of the time. I don't expect that to change.

This. If she caucuses with the ComDems then nothing really has changed other than she keeps the low information voters who are sick of the ComDems.

[BillBond]

She is just positioning herself to run for president, or at least be chosen to be someone's vice president in 2024.