- Kirsten Cinema told CBS News that she has “completely” ended her relationship with the party and will not join the Republican Party.
- She left the Democratic Party last year and became an independent before she could be re-elected.
- “It’s okay if you don’t agree 100% with another opinion,” Arizona Senator told Margaret Brennan.
Independent Senator Kirsten Cinema of Arizona said she would not join the Republican Party after leaving the Democratic Party, noting that her relationship with the party was “completely” over.
inside conversation With Margaret Brennan, host of CBS “Face the Nation,” which aired on Sunday, Cinema will reach bipartisan consensus on a range of key issues after both major political parties have moved to extremes in recent years. He said it was getting more difficult.
“In today’s political climate … as we see every day, there is less tolerance for differences. There is less willingness for individuals to have their own opinions and make their own decisions,” Cinema said. “And I think it’s our duty to remind everyone that they should think for themselves,” she continued. It’s okay, in fact, it’s important for democracy not to.”
After announcing its departure from the Democratic Party last December, Cinema told CNN that it “doesn’t want to be bound by the partisanship” that has become commonplace in the capital.
“Now that you’re independent, aren’t you going to be a Republican?” Brennan asked the first-term senator in an interview with CBS.
“No, I mean, I’m just laughing because I literally spent the time explaining how broken the two parties are,” Cinema replied. “You don’t go from one broken party to another.”
When Brennan questioned how cinema would work in a world structured around two political parties, the senator said he would not be “stuck” in the system.
Cinema won a tough election to then lawmakers in 2018. Martha McSally has been widely criticized by Democrats for her refusal to remove legislative filibusters to pass important voting rights legislation. She has also faced criticism among many progressives for her cozy relationship with wealthy donors.
Senators have yet to decide whether she will run for re-election in 2024.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a member of the Phoenix area, ran in the Senate race in January and harassed cinema over what he said was her inattention to working-class Arizonas.
On the Republican side, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb is already in the primary. But Republicans could face a crowded field as 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, 2022 senatorial candidate Blake Masters, and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Karin Taylor-Robson are also considering campaigns. There is a possibility