Sen. Sinema's switch to Independent will not impact Democrat's control of the chamber, representatives say

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced her determination connected Friday to permission the Democrats and register arsenic an independent, but galore members of Congress person said the power apt won't interaction the Democrats' constrictive power of the U.S. Senate.

The Democrats secured a 51-49 bulk successful the midterm elections, and Sen. Raphael Warnock's reelection triumph Tuesday successful Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff boosted the party's hopes that Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., volition person little power implicit important bills. The brace person been chaotic cards for Democrats since the enactment gained constrictive power of the Senate from Republicans successful 2020.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, said Sunday that helium believes Sinema is simply a "corporate Democrat" who has "sabotaged enormously important legislation," and helium suspects her determination to power parties has to bash with her idiosyncratic governmental ambitions.

"I deliberation it truly has to bash with her governmental aspirations for the aboriginal successful Arizona, but for us, I deliberation thing overmuch has changed successful presumption of the functioning of the U.S. Senate," Sanders told CNN's "State of the Union" successful an interrogation Sunday.

In a tweet Friday, Sinema said her determination to power parties was a "natural extension" of her service. The 46-year-old is the archetypal openly bisexual senator, and she started her vocation arsenic a Green Party activistic focusing connected LGBTQ rights. She switched to the Democratic Party successful 2004 and was elected to the U.S. House successful 2012.

"I cognize this is truly hard for tons of folks, particularly successful D.C., but what's important to maine is to not beryllium tethered by the partisanship that dominates authorities today," she told CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester said Sunday that helium was amazed Sinema made the change, but that it won't functionally alteration thing successful the Senate.

"I deliberation whether she's a Democrat oregon a Republican, that truly doesn't matter," the Democrat told NBC's "Meet the Press." "The statement doesn't matter."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. was informed of Sinema's plans to go autarkic connected Thursday, and successful a connection Friday, helium said Sinema asked to support her committee assignments. By keeping her assignments, Sinema signaled she intends to proceed to caucus with Democrats arsenic an independent.

Sinema's determination to power parties would forestall her from having to look a superior from the left, but she has not said whether she volition question a 2nd word successful the U.S. Senate.