Senator Reveals Main Reason Why She Left Democratic Party

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) speak to reporters in Washington on July 28, 2021. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) revealed why she left the Democratic Party late last year during a Tuesday discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Sinema said that she considered herself to be an independent lawmaker long before she switched her party affiliation in December. Because of heightened political polarization in recent years, she felt the need to break away from the party.

“Those who know me know that I was always an independent voice and always have been for the things that I believe in and for my state and for my country,” said Sinema during the event, claiming that the Jan. 6 Capitol breach “created, I think, concern and fear for every patriotic American across the country.”

“But in the resulting two years, the Democratic Party shared a narrative that said, ‘We would not have any more free and fair elections in this country if the United States Congress didn’t eliminate the filibuster and pass a massive voting rights package,’” Sinema added. “As we all know, the filibuster was not eliminated. … that massive voting rights bill was not passed through Congress. And then we had a free and fair election all across the country” during the 2022 midterms, she added.

Sinema was making reference to the voting rights bill and move to eliminate the filibuster that were both backed by Democrats when they controlled both chambers of Congress over the past two years.

“Individuals of both political parties, some extreme, some moderate, won. So we had a free and fair election,” she added. “One could posit that the push by one political party to eliminate an important guardrail in an institution of our country may have been premature or overreaching in order to get the short-term victories they wanted.”

World Economic Forum Meeting

According to reports, Sinema was among a handful of U.S. lawmakers and officials who flew to the Davos event hosted by the World Economic Forum. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and several members of the House of Representatives will attend, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) are two Republicans who are scheduled to attend the “America (Un)Bound” event at the meeting.

World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab delivers a speech during the "Crystal Award" ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on Jan. 16, 2023. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

“Governor Kemp looks forward to traveling to Davos to share with leaders who the State of Georgia’s long record of conservative governance, protecting individual liberty, and championing opportunity can serve as a model for economic success across the country and around the world,” a spokesperson from Kemp’s office told news outlets about the visit.

The World Economic Forum, founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, gathers the world’s ultra-wealthy and other elites at a several-day-long event in Davos, Switzerland. In recent years, the group has generated controversy for its promotion of left-wing policies and its “great reset,” while Schwab himself has courted criticism for praising the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party as a role model for some countries.

Earlier this week, Schwab announced the World Economic Forum’s meeting, which runs from Jan. 16 to 20, will focus on an agenda to promote progressive climate-related and social-justice policies.

“The theme of our meeting in Davos is cooperation in a fragmented world,” Klaus stated, adding that “economic, environmental, social, and geopolitical crises are converging and conflating, creating an extremely versatile and uncertain future.”

“We are all stuck in a crisis mindset,” he warned, but he said his “annual meeting at Davos shall try to make sure that leaders do not remain trapped in this crisis mindset but develop a longer-term, constructive perspective to shape the future in more sustainable, more inclusive, and more resilient way.”

Around 379 public officials will be attending. That includes 30 heads of state, 19 central bank governors, 1,500 company executives, 600 CEOs from the world’s largest corporations, and more.