Sinema dismisses Senate reelection questions amid slowed fundraising in the fourth quarter

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who hasn’t said whether she will seek another term and saw her fundraising slow in the fourth quarter, had a testy exchange with reporters when asked about the independent from Arizona’s reelection plans.

Sinema’s campaign reported about $595,000 in receipts in the last quarter of 2023, down from $826,000 from the previous quarter. The fundraising level suggests that Sinema has yet to train her attention to a potential reelection bid.

She still has a sizable $10.6 million in cash on hand, but running in a competitive three-way race would require Sinema to substantially ramp up her fundraising.

Sinema has until April to file for reelection and has refused to discuss her plans, indicating she’s focused on securing the border security deal before the Senate.

Sinema chastised CNN Wednesday for asking if she plans to run for reelection during a gaggle with reporters while she was talking about details of the border security legislation.

“Why are you wasting your question on that,” she responded pointedly. “We are talking about something serious here.”

She then turned to the large group of reporters huddled around her just off the Senate floor and made her point again.

“I just want to be clear to all of you,” Sinema said. “Total waste of a question. OK? I’m here to talk about substance.”

Sinema has been in the middle of heated negotiations over legislation to overhaul immigration and border policy, and tempers have flared among lawmakers on both sides frustrated at the process. Amid those tensions, Sinema has been working closely with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. The negotiators have said they’ve reached an agreement on a plan, but the group has not yet released bill text and Republican leaders in the House have vowed to block the proposal.

Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022, though she continues to caucus with it. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake have announced campaigns for Sinema’s US Senate seat.

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