Surely Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema knows that her constituents would rather step in dogshit than see her reelected to another six-year term in Congress. Does she have a plan she believes in to change that? If so, she’s delusional. Is she going to run for reelection anyway? In that case, she’s a masochist who enjoys public humiliation.
This is why reporters are trying to suss out her intentions, but they’re coming to different conclusions.
McKay Coppins in The Atlantic: “Sinema tells me she hasn’t decided yet whether she’ll seek reelection, but she talks like someone who’s not planning on it. She’s only 46 years old; she has other interests.”
Robert Draper in the New York Times: “Nothing she said in our conversations left me with the impression that she was putting a few final touches on her senatorial legacy on her way out the door to the private sector.”
Those two gentlemen had the advantage of interviewing her which provided a good opportunity to get a read on her intentions. If they can’t agree, I don’t have much hope of figuring it out from my back patio. But I can say that McKay Coppins’ take seems more plausible. Most politicians looking at Sinema’s reelect numbers quickly announce their retirement. Even if you’re willing to take a beating at the ballot box, it’s hard to organize, fund and sustain a campaign team based on a pipe dream. That’s a job for ideological challengers, not incumbents who can better use their remaining time in office lining up some lucrative future job.
And Sinema’s Senate career has amounted to a long tongue bath for private equity. If this didn’t have a financial exit strategy in mind from the beginning, then what was it about?
The senator certainly likes a certain kind of attention, as attested by her colorful wardrobe. But she’s not known for her oratory either on the Senate floor or on social media. She seems to go about her work quietly, so I don’t get the sense that she’s addicted to the spotlight she gets from being a contrary politician. I assume she’s playing the long game.
But I’ll admit that she’s tough to read. I can’t say for certain what really drives her, nor do I really know if she’s tethered to reality.