Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has not watched a Democratic presidential primary debate yet because she would rather stay “happy.”
The Arizona Democrat told Politico that she has avoided watching the Democratic debates that have featured several of her Senate colleagues.
“I’m not missing anything. I prefer happiness,” Sinema said. “Look how happy I am.”
Sinema is a moderate Democrat who meets with Republican senators about as much as she works with her own party. She is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in three decades, and she considers Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas an ally.
Other than the debates, Sinema has also distanced herself from the House Democrats’ push for impeachment while accusing politicians on both sides of the aisle of acting purely partisan.
“That’s not my job, that’s not my role,” Sinema said, referring to her coolness toward impeachment.
Some Democrats in Arizona threatened Sinema with censure earlier in the year over her support for several of President Trump’s nominees, such as Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.
“Everyone knows that I am very independent-minded,” Sinema said. “And that it’s not super useful to try and convince me otherwise.”
