It looks like Arizona won’t have a centrist senator when Congress convenes next year. Incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema has dropped out of the race. Like her decision to leave the “Democratic” Party, this decision was based on reality.
Sinema is too conservative for most current “Democrats.” In the last two years, she joined West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin to block some of Joe’s most outrageous legislation. She also helped block any move by Senate “Democrats” to end the Senate filibuster, a Senate rule that required a 60 vote super-majority to move legislation through that body. This meant that Senate “Democrats” had to get a minority of Republicans to vote for something to get it through. Of course, this worked the other way when Republicans held the majority as they didn’t hold a filibuster-proof majority either.
Arizona “Democrats” hated her for this. Last fall, Sinema read the primary handwriting on the wall. She was obviously going to face a primary challenge from the left and would probably lose. So, she left the “Democratic” Party and became an independent.
Ruben Gallegos, the left-wing challenger she saw coming got the Desert Donkeys nod. Meanwhile Kari Lake looks like she is going to get the Republicans’ nomination. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, Lake’s opponent for the Republican nomination isn’t doing well in the polls and Lake will probably beat him.
Sinema has prevented the general election from being a three-way Gallegos-Lake-Sinema race by dropping out. That’s because she once again read the handwriting on wall. If she stayed in, she would lose. Polls across the board show her coming in in the toilet paper position in that race. Her fundraising was also rapidly declining. She had enough campaign funds to continue, but with her declining fundraising, it was questionable whether she could continue through the remainder of the campaign.
So, now she’s gone and it will be a Trump populist versus a left wing extremist. Gallegos has been virtually neck and neck with Lake in polls. He shows a narrow lead now that Sinema is out of the picture. Right now, it’s really anybody’s guess who the desert dwellers will choose for their next senator.
It’s also anybody’s guess who will control the Senate after the November elections. 34 out of 100 Senate seats are up for grabs. Republican butts are currently sitting in 10 of these. “Democrats” hold 20 of these seats and independents, who caucus with the “Democrats” hold three. Democrats will have to win twice as many elections as Republicans will to keep the Senate.
Who will retain the Arizona seat remains to be seen. “Democrats” will lose the West Virginia seat as Manchin will be replaced by a Republican. Senator Mitt (rhymes with ... oh, never mind) Romney is retiring. Nobody will miss him. A Republican will replace him.
It will be interesting to see how the House of Representative races shake out. All those seats are up for reelection and it will be interesting to see who’s butts will be sitting in them come next year.
Finally, with Nikki Haley gone, we have the Donald and Joe show. One of those losers will be elected president. Right now, Trump is ahead in the polls, but it’s early.
