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Arizona Senator\u00a0Kyrsten Sinema<\/strong> is preparing to run again for Senate in 2024 \u2014 but this time as an independent.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0Wall Street Journal,<\/em> the Democrat-turned-independent’s team met in Phoenix earlier this week, where, in a slideshow, they discussed the\u00a0timeline for her potential run<\/a>, including when they would need to finalize campaign staff and when they would need to complete poll research.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cKyrsten is an independent voice for Arizona. As Arizona\u2019s senior senator, she\u2019s committed to ignoring partisan politics, shutting out the noise, and delivering real results helping everyday Arizonans build better lives for themselves and their families,\u201d one slide read.<\/p>\n Sinema\u2019s office declined to confirm details about the meeting to the\u00a0WSJ<\/em>.<\/p>\n Sinema\u00a0left the Democratic party<\/a> last year, days after Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock<\/strong> won his runoff election, securing control of the Senate for the Democrats.\u00a0\u201cI have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans\u00a0who reject party politics<\/a> by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington,\u201d she wrote in a local Arizona media outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLike a lot of Arizonans, I have never fit perfectly in either national party,\u201d she continued.\u202f \u201cBecoming an independent won\u2019t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Following Sinema\u2019s announcement, White House Press Secretary\u00a0Karine Jean-Pierre<\/strong>\u00a0wrote in a statement:\u00a0\u201cSenator Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months.\u201d She added,\u00a0\u201cWe understand that her decision to register as an independent in Arizona\u00a0does not change the new Democratic majority control<\/a>\u00a0of the Senate, and we have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As Sinema shifts to the right, if the last election was any indicator, her state appears to be tipping to the left. Her fellow Arizona Senator\u00a0Mark Kelly<\/strong>, a Democrat, defeated Republican\u00a0Blake Masters<\/strong> by more than five points<\/a>, while Democrat\u00a0Katie Hobbs<\/strong> defeated Trump\u2019s pick, firebrand\u00a0Kari Lake<\/strong>, for the governor\u2019s seat by\u00a017,000 votes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lake\u2014despite never conceding in the last election\u2014has\u00a0hinted at running for Senate<\/a> in 2024. If that\u2019s true, she may have just earned her first competitor on Friday, as\u00a0Pinal County Sheriff\u00a0Mark Lamb<\/strong> is\u00a0poised to announce his candidacy<\/a> for Arizona’s race next week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Arizona Rep.\u00a0Ruben Gallego<\/strong>\u00a0announced that he\u2019s running for Sinema\u2019s seat.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m better for this job than Kyrsten Sinema because\u00a0I haven\u2019t forgotten where I came from<\/a>,\u201d the congressman said in January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n