Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is questioning whether moderates still have a place in the Democratic Party, saying party leaders made it clear they did not want her before she abandoned her Democratic affiliation and became an independent.
Sinema made the remarks during an appearance on «My View with Lara Trump,» where she described her departure as a mutual parting of ways. «The reason I left was because the party had decided they wanted to pursue a track of short-term gain and really sacrificing kind of longer-term issues around democracy, like the filibuster,» she said. «And they very much made it clear that they didn't really want me there. And, so, I left, which made me happy, and I think made them happy.»
But Sinema said she is not certain the party has room for others who share her political profile. «But I'm not sure that there's more room for others who are moderate or conservatives left there,» she said. «That's unfortunate because the majority of Americans actually live in that moderate or fiscally conservative middle.»
Sinema was elected to both the House and the Senate as a Democrat before becoming an independent. She said she left the party after Democrats pursued what she characterized as immediate political gains at the expense of longer-term institutional concerns, specifically citing the filibuster.
She also contrasted the party she joined with the growing Democratic Socialists of America movement, which she said is rooted in principles that do not reflect the historic Democratic Party. Sinema said that when she entered Congress in 2012, she was a «blue dog,» a coalition she described as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. There were a lot more traditional liberal Democrats at that time, she said, stating that the DSA is something else entirely.
«It's really rooted in tenets of socialism, which is not reflective of the historic Democratic Party,» she said. «So, it's hard to tell whether it's a hijacking or whether it is actually the movement of the voters' opinions.»
Sinema added that primary elections tend to reflect the extreme ends of both parties, so it is too soon to tell whether the broader Democratic base is actually on board with the DSA. Her comments come as democratic socialists have achieved historic wins across the country.
The former senator's remarks touch on a broader debate within the Democratic coalition about ideology, electoral strategy and the direction of the party heading into future election cycles. Sinema's own political trajectory — from Democratic lawmaker to independent — has made her a frequent critic of party leadership and a symbol of the tensions between moderates and progressives.
Her assessment suggests that the divide is not merely a matter of policy differences but of whether the party can accommodate a range of views, including those of voters who describe themselves as fiscally conservative or socially moderate. Sinema argued that those voters make up a significant share of the American electorate, even if they are not always represented in primary contests.
Whether the Democratic Party will seek to broaden its appeal to that middle ground or continue to move in a more progressive direction remains an open question. Sinema's comments add to the ongoing conversation about the party's identity and its ability to hold together a diverse coalition.