Sinema files paperwork for Independent candidacy in 2024 Arizona Senate race

Sen. Krysten Sinema filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday as an Independent candidate in the 2024 Arizona Senate race, a week after she announced she would be leaving the Democratic Party. 

The paperwork filed with the FEC does not necessarily mean that Sinema will ultimately run for the Senate seat, though the move suggests a step toward that direction. 

Sinema announced last Friday that she would leave the Democratic Party and officially register as an Independent, explaining in an interview on CNN at the time that she made the decision because “I’ve never fit neatly into any party box.”

“Removing myself from the partisan structure — not only is it true to who I am and how I operate, I also think it’ll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country who also are tired of the partisanship,” she told CNN anchor Jake Tapper, news of which was first reported by Politico.

Sinema’s announcement came only several days after Democrats notched a much-needed win in Georgia to give them a 51-49 Senate majority going into the next session.

Sinema won her last election in 2018 against Republican candidate Martha McSally by less than 3 points, marking the first time that Democrats had won a Senate seat in the Grand Canyon State in decades.

Should Sinema decide to run in 2024 as an Independent in Arizona, it would likely encourage more challengers — Democrats and Republicans alike — to wade into the race while avoiding an awkward primary challenge.

The Hill has reached out to Sinema’s office for comment.