Senator Sinema will not seek reelection in 2024, the Arizona independent announced in a video on Tuesday. 

“In 2017, I warned we were approaching a crossroads. Our democracy was weakened by government dysfunction and the constant pull to the extremes by both political parties,” she said. “I promised I would do my best to fix it, to protect and defend our Constitution, to listen to others without judgment, to focus on what unites us, and to make Americans’ lives better.”

“We delivered tangible results that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Ms. Sinema said, touting her work on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Chips and Science Act, and the federal dollars she brought home to Arizona. 

“I love Arizona and I’m proud of what we delivered,” she said. “I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.”

The race will now most assuredly come down to the two leading candidates, Democratic Congressman Reuben Gallego, and the Trump-endorsed Republican activist Kari Lake, who lost the Arizona governorship in 2022. 

Recent polling showed Ms. Sinema barely in the double-digits, and Mr. Gallego and Ms. Lake taking the vast majority of the votes. Ms. Sinema did draw significant support from Republicans in the polls, and GOP leaders now feel that her exit has improved Ms. Lake’s chances at winning the seat. 

“An open seat in Arizona creates a unique opportunity for Republicans to build a lasting Senate majority this November,” the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Senator Daines, said on Tuesday. “With recent polling showing Kyrsten Sinema pulling far more Republican voters than Democrat voters, her decision to retire improves Kari Lake’s opportunity to flip this seat.”