The Senate Republican campaign arm is targeting Arizonan senator Kyrsten Sinema in a new attack ad, criticizing her as a “liberal Democrat” and tying her closely to President Joe Biden. The ad suggests that the GOP is concerned about Sinema potentially winning over more votes from Arizona Republicans should she decide to run for a second term. It signals a strategy to weaken Sinema with Arizona Republicans ahead of the key Senate contest, should she choose to be a candidate. However, Sinema’s warm relationship with numerous GOP senators and her ability to kill some of President Biden’s priorities seem to complicate this.
The attack ad is a significant move in the upcoming key Senate contest in Arizona, as Sinema has been praised by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as being highly effective. The situation becomes more complicated by the fact that Sinema, elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 2018, quit the party last December, announcing herself as an independent. She has voted in alignment with Biden 94% of the time but has also caused setbacks for some of the President’s priorities. As the ad targets both Sinema and the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Rep. Ruben Gallego, it’s evident that the GOP’s concern is rooted in the possibility of Sinema winning more votes from Republicans, leaving them a path to win as independent.
The ad also links Sinema to Biden’s green energy bill and the American Rescue Plan, suggesting that GOP is uneasy about Democratic chances in a three-way race between Sinema, a Republican candidate, and Gallego. It shows that the GOP is spooked about Kari Lake’s prospects, a candidate they perceive as their worst nightmare. But given Sinema’s independence and past record, it seems that there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding her potential re-election and its implications for the upcoming Arizona Senate race.
