50 – 50 split again
Over the course of the midterm election cycle, I noticed some stories from Arizona Democrats grumbling that Krysten Synema was doing no campaigning on behalf of Arizona Democrats, their implication being something like — she’s in it for herself, and is getting the corporate money and running. The question I had was — given her poll numbers amongst her party, did the various Democratic candidates want her? I suppose there was some theoretical room for some theoretical candidate who needed a mass of Republican leaning votes, but it would have to be a damper on any “get out the base” vote on her surrogacy.
She knows the poll numbers. She won’t win a Democratic primary, so she bolts. Just as Arlen Specter did. For rhetorical positioning she can’t step in as a Republican, but I guess the party may just clear the way for her. I don’t know the politics enough to know if her path in a Republican primary is done — we have multiple conservative Democrat switchers who got tagged as socialists and dragged for party line votes in Republican primaries — but then on the other gand… Who is Trump?
What is fascinating is that she did not do this before the Georgia run-off. The “senate in the balance” may be a winning line to sway the electorate — voting as they did for all statewide Republicans not named Walker. But then, I am not entirely certain at the end Herschel Walker was in it — and if asked for such help from Sinema would have just as soon asked for a delay so he could quietly exit on election day (as against the Trump — Lake line of thinking any election that goes against them is invalid). But that is just conjecture.
Update: I initially saw a mistaken report that she was going to caucus with the Republicans. But I guess not. She is Lieberman. She did a Joe Manchhin before Joe Manchin had a chance to — and with less theoretical benefit for the Democrats on the premise — he who said if it’ll help I’ll drop the name Democrat so I can continue to oppose where I do.