Kyrsten Sinema Just Blew Up the Senate

Senator Kyrsten Sinema's decision to leave the Democratic Party could have major repercussions for the Senate just days after a major victory cemented the party's control of the chamber.

Sinema told Politico in an interview that she will not caucus with Republicans in the Congress but the fact she will now be an independent may complicate matters in the closely divided Senate.

Democrats had reason to celebrate this week as Senator Raphael Warnock saw off a challenge from Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker in December 6's runoff election in Georgia.

Warnock secured election to a full term after first being elected in a special election in January, 2021 and it appeared that his victory had given Democrats 51 Senate seats to Republicans' 49—a slim but workable majority.

However, Sinema's move to leave the party will now change the arithmetic in the chamber, where two independent senators—Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine—caucus with Democrats.

"I don't anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure," Sinema told Politico in remarks published on Friday.

She said that how her change in affiliation will affect the mechanics of the Senate is "a question for Chuck Schumer ... I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent."

The Arizona senator also said: "Nothing will change about my values or my behavior."

Greg Sargent, columnist with The Washington Post, quoted a Sinema spokesperson on Twitter as saying: "She intends to maintain her committee assignments from the Democratic majority."

That suggests Sinema will continue to caucus with the Democrats in a similar way to Sanders and King, though she has not confirmed that.

Nonetheless, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will find himself with one less Democratic senator, while Senator Joe Manchin could once again become a key power broker.

Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who is often described as a moderate or a conservative, has frequently held the balance of power over the last two years in the evenly divided Senate.

However, Manchin said before the midterm elections that he was "praying to God it's not 50-50 again."

"I'd like for Democrats to be 51-49. But, whatever happens, I hope it's not a 50-50," the senator told NBC News on September 29.

Sinema and Manchin's votes were key in passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022—a major piece of legislation for President Joe Biden and a repackaged version of his Build Back Better agenda, which Manchin had refused to support in February, effectively killing the legislation at the time.

The next Senate could potentially give both Manchin and Sinema considerable influence once again. It could also mean that Vice President Kamala Harris could continue to play a prominent role.

Harris has repeatedly been called upon to cast her tiebreaking vote in her constitutional role as president of the Senate. She's cast the decisive vote for key pieces of legislation as well as nominations of officials, including judicial appointees.

The vice president will only be called upon to break a tie if the Senate splits 50-50 and it remains to be seen if any such ties will involve Sinema siding with the Republican minority.

Newsweek has asked Senator Sinema's office for comment.