by With and
Democrats in both Washington DC and Arizona spent the weekend scrutinizing Arizona Senator Kyrsten Cinema’s decision to leave the party and register as an independent.
Among progressives (and potential Cinema contenders from the left), the decision has been criticized as proof that it doesn’t care about the party – outgoing Arizona Democratic Party vice-president Michael Slugocki said he was “shockingly disappointed at how awful it continues to be”. And Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said he doesn’t expect Democrats to stand behind someone who “helps sabotage some of the most important laws protecting the interests and voting rights of working families.”
But the reaction was much quieter among Democrats, who don’t want to exclude him before the next Senate term, or who may need to declare their own independence before the 2024 election cycle.
Biden’s White House statement described him as a “key partner” with whom they expect to continue working. And on Sundays meet the press, Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who is about to be reelected in 2024, downplayed the decision, saying, “I’m surprised he made the change, but functionally I don’t think it changed anything.”
In other 2024 news:
A bright spot in the West for Democrats: Natasha Korecki of NBC News reports that while Republicans have made some progress on Latino voters over the years, they have performed well among Latinos in states like Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, where Democrats have become a durable part of the party coalition. .
Tar Heel tension: In the wake of another disappointment for Democrats in North Carolina, the state’s Democratic Party chief is stepping aside (he says the decision was made before the election), and some Democrats are calling for major changes in 2024 in hopes of turning the tide. WRAL.
A field growing in Indiana: Four Republican candidates could replace Eric Holcolmb, the limited-term Indiana GOP Governor, Politico reports. This comes as Indiana GOP Senator Mike Braun and the state’s GOP Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. Both are expected to announce their campaigns for the job today. Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden has already announced his campaign, and state Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers is expected to join the race.
