Democratic Sen. Kirsten Sinema has defected from the Democratic Party and filed as an independent.
Cinema made the announcement Friday by publishing a statement in the Arizona Republic.
The senator cited increasingly partisan interests and the radicalization of both political parties as reasons for his departure.
“Americans are told that there are only two choices, Democrat or Republican, and that we must subscribe to the policy ideas that the parties hold, and that we must subscribe to ideas that are pulled further and further into the extremes,” Sinema wrote in the op-ed.
“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice. When I ran for the US House and Senate, I made a different promise to the people of Arizona,” he continued. “I promised to remain independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I promised not to demonize those I disagree with, engage in name-calling or be distracted by political drama.”
Cinema accused the major political parties in America of being more concerned with blocking each other than the well-being of their constituents.
“When politicians focus more on denying the opposition victory than improving the lives of Americans, the losers are everyday Americans.” wrote a cinema op-ed.
“That’s why I’ve joined the growing number of Arizonans who are declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and rejecting party politics. I registered as an Arizona Independent.”
This is a growing story. Check back for updates.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Coffee maven. Professional food trailblazer. Twitter buff.”