Since Election Day, it’s been hard to look forward to anything in the new year. But there is one silver-ish lining: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) will no longer be in office, off to greener, more lucrative pastures—AKA, most likely lobbying. Her closing move as senator was to tank President Biden’s reappointment of a pro-labor nominee to the National Labor Relations Board last week, ceding the seat (and the NLRB majority) to the incoming Trump administration.
On Friday, Semafor published an exit interview with the outgoing senator, and it was almost as eye-roll-inducing as her choice to deliver a sassy curtsy with her vote against a $15 minimum wage in 2021. Sinema and Semafor looked back on a range of votes during her six years in the Senate, which included describing her decision to go against her caucus in 2022 and oppose filibuster reform as the “most important decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Without naming names, Sinema claimed that after Republicans took back the Senate on Election Day, one Democratic senator personally thanked her for keeping the filibuster in place. Of course, sans filibuster, Democrats could have successfully implemented popular policies on abortion rights, climate, labor, and more—maybe they even would have held onto the Senate.
Asked about her recent decision to collaborate with Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and hand the NLRB over to Trump, who very well might try to shut down the board altogether, Sinema predictably shrugged: “Don’t give a shit,” she said of criticisms of her vote, for which she memorably rewore her deeply stupid "DANGEROUS CREATURE" sweater. (She previously wore the sweater while presiding over the Senate in 2021; in turn, Meghan McCain called her a "queen.") Sinema really doesn’t have to convince me that she doesn’t “give a shit”—I’ve pieced that together based on everything she did and didn’t do during her tenure.
In the same interview, Sinema refused to specify who she voted for president, confirmed that she has no plans to run for office again (“We’re good,” she said), and declined to specify her next act—only that she’s already “happier.” As for how she sees her impact? “Honestly, I feel like we got 40 years worth of work done in one term,” she said. I’d argue that she helped stop at least 40 years' worth of progress, but as long as she “feels” she was productive, I guess that’s all that matters!
As a gentle reminder, Sinema spent large swaths of her singular term missing votes, prepping to run a marathon, and allegedly funding a “life of luxury” via improper use of campaign funds, per one legal complaint against her.
“I know some people think I’m, like, this enigma or whatever, but I don’t think that’s true at all,” she said. “I think I’m highly predictable.” Sinema is, indeed, “highly predictable,” in that if you’re guessing her next move, it’s probably the worst, stupidest option possible.
Perhaps Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put it best when Semafor asked him to reminisce on his outgoing colleague’s tenure. He told the outlet that Sinema, alongside Manchin, will be “likely remembered for the role they played in” neutering Biden’s climate and health care bill, “which could have been transformative to this country.” Ah, well, nevertheless!
